1. CAROLINAS ANNUAL FUND CONFERENCE | APRIL 23, 2014
Setting the Table for Annual Fund
Success: Communications with
Current Parents
Betsy Chapman ‘92, MA ‘94),
Director of Parent Programs

2. Our Session Today
• Case study: parent
communications and Annual Fund
growth
• What’s in it for your school?
• How can you get started?

3. Where We Were 2008-09
• Separate Parent and Alumni Office
• Communications: Wake Forest
Magazine 3-4x/yr
• Solicitations 3-4x/yr (freshmen not
until spring)
• Little web presence

4. Wake Forest Fund
Historical Giving $
1,130,128
1,462,547
1,667,396
1,627,872
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09

5. Wake Forest Fund
Historical Donor #s
2,037
2,386
2,255
2,038
1,800
1,900
2,000
2,100
2,200
2,300
2,400
2,500
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09

6. • A 2011 study
found 40% of
first semester
freshmen
reported daily
contact with
their parents/
families 1
1 Liu A, Sharkness J, Pryor JH. Findings from the 2007 administration of
'Your First College Year' (YFCY) Los Angeles: Higher Education
Research Institute, UCLA; 2008.
Changing Student-Parent
Dynamic…

7. Propelled Us to Change
Dedicated parents web page
and blog (The Daily Deac)
Social media

8. Old vs. New Fundraising
Solicit vs. Open the door, set
the table, then ask

9. CREATING MEANINGFUL
ENGAGEMENT
If You Build It, They Will Come

10. • Invite them
• Show them dynamic, value added content
• Repeat, repeat, repeat!
Parents Website or Portal

11. • Deadlines
• Action items
• Checklists
• Critical news
Parents’ Information Needs

12. Make It Easy to Use

13. Q & A – Helps You and Them!

14. • News
• Photos
• Blogs
• Webcam
• Targeted
messages
Dynamic Content

15. Push Content to Them
• Don’t rely on them coming
to your website
• Push content to their
inbox (e-newsletter,
subscription feeds)
• Frequent social media
posts to stay on peoples’
feeds

16. • There’s institutional
messaging you want to
deliver…
• …and news that matters to
your constituents
• What is your school’s
voice?
Business or Pleasure?

17. Editorial Choices
• Personal touch
• Easy navigation
• Official news or
info

18. Tailor to Specific Audiences

19. Where Communications Moves the
Needle

20. EVALUATING PERFORMANCE
Are Parent Communications
Worth It?

21. Parents’ Page Hits

22. Readership Increase

23. Correlation? Or Causation?

24. Daily Deac Blog
Subscribers
• 595 subscriber
emails
• Match to 428
Family Giving
Units
• 176 have a giving
record (41%)
• 71 of the 176 are
staffed prospects

25. P ‘17 Daily Deac Blog
Subscribers
• P’17 = freshmen
parents
• $15,928 - avg.
lifetime giving for
staffed prospects
• $773 - avg. lifetime
giving of non-
staffed prospects

26. Wake Forest Fund
Historical Giving $
1,130,128
1,462,547
1,667,396
1,627,872
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09

27. Giving Post-
Communications Ramp Up
1,881,739 2,006,769
2,295,411
2,189,964
2,367,646
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 Current YTD

28. Wake Forest Fund
Historical Donor #s
2,037
2,386
2,255
2,038
1,800
1,900
2,000
2,100
2,200
2,300
2,400
2,500
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09

29. Participation Post-
Communications Ramp Up
2,453
2,713
3,034 2,985
2,467
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 Current YTD

30. University of Minnesota
2013 Survey
http://www1.umn.edu/prod/groups/ur/@pub/@ur/@parent/documents/content/ur_content_471671.pdf
http://www1.umn.edu/prod/groups/ur/@pub/@ur/@parent/documents/content/ur_content_471671.pdf

31. CREATING MEANINGFUL
ENGAGEMENT
How Can You Start?
• Web design software (Word
Press)
• Staff member with:
• Love of writing
• Institutional knowledge
• Good judgment
• Strong campus partnerships

32. CREATING MEANINGFUL
ENGAGEMENT
Conclusions from WFU
• Engaged
• Involved
• Informed
• = Higher giving $
• = Higher participation rate

33. CAROLINAS ANNUAL FUND CONFERENCE | APRIL 23, 2014
Questions?

34. CAROLINAS ANNUAL FUND CONFERENCE | APRIL 23, 2014
http://parents.wfu.edu
parents@wfu.edu