BACKGROUND INFORMATION

After a careful assessment of the potential for fundraising from the Antioch College alumni population it has become clear to the Alumni Association and the staff of the Office of Institutional Advancement (IA) that alumni donor prospects have the capacity to secure the future of the College and re-establish it among its historic academic peers.

For the purposes of this emergency plan we have identified $44.3 million in major gift asks that can be made immediately. In the future, a motivated alumni body supported by a fully resourced and staffed development operation with consistent and able leadership could in fact raise $100 million in a five-year campaign.

There is, however, no evidence that many of these alumni will give; only that they have wealth and that they attended Antioch College. Capacity is only one part of the story, but when combined with engagement, is the most important element of the equation.

A lengthy catalog of missteps exists that explains why the College has not capitalized on the giving potential of its alumni in the past. IA reports that staff turnover is the most significant reason for modest alumni participation in major giving. Revolving staffing has deeply compromised relationship building and has resulted in too few asks.

Five Traditional Challenges to Fundraising at Antioch College

1. Perpetual turnover in the presidency and fundraising leadership.
2. Persistent failure to invest consistently in alumni relations and development operations.
3. Alienation felt by alumni as a result of loss of College identity in the larger University.
4. Perception that giving makes little difference because it simply addresses pressing needs or institutional indebtedness associated with weak leadership.
5. Long and short term damage to the reputation capital of Antioch College.

For example, the twelve-year Guskin administration was the most financially stable period for Antioch College in the past thirty years. Regardless of one’s opinion about Guskin’s leadership, the legacy of increasing financial strength that was established from the mid-1980s through the late 1990s enabled the fundraising successes of the early 2000s. The earlier successful fundraising rested on stable leadership by a president who was a chief executive officer of a perceived autonomous college. That precedent shows that under the right circumstances, Antioch College can raise consistent and substantial major gifts from its alumni.

The fundraising case statement being developed will thoroughly address the five points above, and the fact that Antioch College is under threat of what alumni will consider permanent closure and will be attempting to raise funding to cover operational costs and indebtedness. Despite the fact that the stakes are so high, or perhaps because the states are so high there are some specific fundraising advantages present as we launch the campaign.

Five Current Advantages for Fundraising at Antioch College

1. Creating a sense of urgency for giving is the best scenario to begin fundraising. In that regard we are in abundantly good shape. We must stress both the immediacy of the need and the potential for a very positive future for Antioch College.
2. Antioch alumni typically want to share their opinions and are rarely neutral about their Antioch experience. They may feel disaffected or disconnected, but at this moment it may prove easier to engage them in the possibility of giving than if they did not have opinions to share.
3. The condition of research in the Office of Institutional Advancement is excellent. While there has been concern about the general condition of the database as far as capturing addresses of the full 17,000 living alumni, it can be fairly stated that if an alumnus has the capacity to give a five figure gift or higher, their identity and contact information is in fact known.
4. The four remaining staff members in the Office of Institutional Advancement are dedicated and talented. As long as there is no future interference in their ability to do their work, they will prove to be excellent partners in alumni fundraising.
5. An alumnus raising funds from another alumnus is preferable to the work of major gift officers asking for contributions from alumni. Typically, it is a challenge for development offices to identify a large enough cohort of motivated alumni to do the work, not so with our current position.

FUNDRAISING GOALS and CASH FLOW

In order to differentiate between what in a normal campaign would be considered capital giving and annual giving, there must be two gift categories for the College Revival Fund. Capital funding from major gift asks will be named the Fund for the Future (FFF) and gifts to support operations at the College will simply be called the College Revival Fund for 2007-08 (CRF08). Both funds and pledges are held by the College Revival Fund Inc. on behalf of the Alumni Association and will not be released to Antioch College until the successful completion of the negotiation process.

As a result of negotiations between the Alumni Board and the Chancellor, the CRF08 will serve as the Annual Fund for FY08. Due to the current climate there is general agreement by IA and the Alumni Board that Antioch College will be unable to raise the $2 million from the alumni population, dollars that are necessary to cover operations earmarked from the Annual Fund. In addition, raising monies for one fund will be less time consuming for staff and less confusing for donors.

Establishing a cash flow projection for a campaign that rolls out so quickly and under such unusual circumstances is difficult. As we have not conducted a feasibility study and have not had contact with many of our donor prospects in recent months, it is impossible to anticipate exactly how quickly they might be willing to begin paying on pledges after negotiations with the University Board of Trustees have been successfully completed. It is essential to craft our solicitation carefully, so the College’s needs are fully understood by all who are approached. This cash flow statement will be adjusted as our solicitations unfold and more information becomes available from our prospective donors.

To meet the immediate needs of Antioch College and to “buy” the time we need to fully develop a plan for revival, we must raise $25 million in pledges and cash in FY08.

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT

In order to raise so many pledges that are payable in one fiscal year, IA and alumni volunteers must capitalize on the strength of response to the proposed closure of the Antioch College from individuals who have contributed to the College recently or who have expressed a willingness to assist since the Reunion in June 2007.

After a review of the research in IA, we have determined that the following prospect gift table is applicable to the building of this emergency phase of the College Revival Fund. This is not a traditional gift table, but we have vetted this priority list of donors using the following criteria:

1. Moderate to significant engagement with the College in the recent past or specifically since June.
2. Capacity to give minimally at the level at which they have been identified.
3. Some contact or willingness to be seen by IA before June.
4. Geographic location and ease of contact between September 20 and October 28.

It is impossible to predict the response of our 100+ prospects. A traditional gift table would be based on a much larger pool of prospects, and would project the likely percentage of giving based on the total number of the asks at various levels. Because of our urgent, unique campaign, we have simply identified the group of alumni whom we believe are most likely to respond favorably to a request for a visit soon, and who are more likely to give than others, based on their past giving records.

The ask amount for almost all donors is much larger than any previous gift that the individuals have given made to Antioch College; however, the target amount is well within their capacity for giving. We do want to plan for the future and do not wish to alienate the core of our support; however we believe that we will be largely forgiven for our boldness given the situation at hand. All strategy aside, we have little option at this time but to go to those who have proven their affection for Antioch College in the past and to ask them for a maximum possible pledge.

The total number of prospects will grow in the coming weeks. IA has identified a significant number of alumni who are most likely to give and who have a capacity to make a gift of at least $100,000. Those giving histories and donor profiles are continuing to be reviewed. In addition, individuals who have a giving potential between $25,000 and $100,000 will be visited based on geographic proximity to donor prospects at higher levels.

Potential for Transformational Giving

Every attempt will be made to secure appointments with prospects who have net worth over $50 million during the next three months. This group could have a significant impact on the future of Antioch College. IA and the alumni volunteers will develop specific and individualized strategies for these prospects.

APPROACH TO THE FUND FOR THE FUTURE (MAJOR GIVING +25K)

Objective: Seventy direct solicitations by 16 people between September 16 and October 25 in approximately 20 cities.

Implementation Steps:

IA and the alumni volunteers have identified the individuals listed below to assist with the solicitation of 70+ alumni donor prospects for the FFF in the next four weeks. In general, we will work in pairs in order to recall fully and later document the conversations and the pledges we will receive. Whenever possible, we will match an experienced fundraiser with a volunteer who has a relationship to the donor. Because there are no perceived leaders who can fully represent Antioch College, the Executive Committee of the Alumni Board will serve as our “institutional” representatives when needed. Risa and her staff can also help in this capacity as they are on campus representatives.

Locations of 70 Donor Prospects

Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Florida
Los Angeles
Minneapolis
New England
New York
Phoenix
Portland
San Francisco
Santa Fe
Seattle
St. Louis
Washington
Yellow Springs

Objective: To secure pledges and gifts from specific affinity groups by creating peer-to-peer engagement.

Implementation Steps:

A current student volunteer will send a letter to the University Board of Trustees requesting their support. Ask Nancy Crow to follow up with an e-mail. (All current trustees of significant means are also on the major gift list).

APPROACH TO THE COLLEGE REVIVAL FUND 2007-2008 (ANNUAL GIVING)

Objective: To raise a minimum of $2 million from alumni and friends in pledges and gifts under $25K.

Implementation Steps by Week of Completion:

September 16-22

Weekly e-Newsletter

Data enter all CRF08 Gifts & Pledges

-Send letter of appreciation and update to all those who have given or made a commitment. (Continual . . )
-Update Raiser’s Edge with contact information from CRF08 pledge cards.

Launch Yellow Springs “Fund for Antioch College” in the Village as an affinity group within CRF08

-Alumni volunteer coordinates the development of student support for YS Fund.
-Produce and place YS Fund lawn signs: Save Antioch College, Save Yellow Springs
-Antioch College & Yellow Springs -155 years Together shop YS Fund window stickers.
-Distribute Antioch College & Yellow Springs-155 years Together YS Fund bumper stickers.

September 23-29

Weekly e-Newsletter

Mail Antioch Notes from Mann & Morgan Families

September 30-October 6Weekly e-Newsletter

October 14-20

Weekly e-Newsletter

Student phon-a-thon

October 21-25

Weekly e-Newsletter

Student phon-a-thon

YS Fund Activities

-Banner across Rt. 68 in downtown for board meeting for YS Fund (seek permission earlier).
-North & south entrance of town “Home of Antioch College” signs decorated (seek permission earlier).

APPROACH TO PLANNED GIVING

Objective: To encourage alumni to consider placing Antioch College in their estate plan after the future of the College is assured.

Planned giving must play a significant role in future of fundraising at Antioch College. Interest in establishing bequests to the College should be documented and individuals should be informed that after the governance negotiations are complete, a staff member from IA will be in touch with them about the Hugh Taylor Birch Heritage Society, that is reserved for those who have included Antioch College in their estate planning.

APPROACH TO CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION SUPPORT

Objective: Identify possible opportunities for corporate and foundation support from our solicitation visits with alumni.

The recent financial crisis makes it virtually impossible for Antioch College to secure the support of the corporate and foundation giving community with the notable exception of family foundations such as the Morgan Family Trust. Only after establishing a mature capital, annual, and planned giving effort should significant internal resources be place on grant writing support. This may be an area in which the Alumni Association can operationally support the work of the College development effort in the future.

APPROACH TO NON-AFFILIATED INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Objective: Identify possible opportunities for non-affiliated individual giving.

We have elected to focus our work on alumni in order to raise funds quickly, thereby demonstrating to the University Board of Trustees that Antioch College can meet the financial demands in this fiscal year. Information about non-affiliated individuals who are recommended by any constituency, especially by alumni, should be recorded and reported back to IA and alumni volunteers.

Last Modified : October 9th, 2007 Filed under : Alumni_Board, announcements Navigate : Previous post / Next post