Purdue University has revolutionized its fundraising operations by implementing a donor-centric model focused on maximizing donor participation. Speaking on a recent podcast, Purdue fundraising leaders John Deakins, Amber Turner, and Michelle Miller shared how they restructured their advancement team and revamped metrics and reporting to build stronger donor relationships.
The centerpiece of Purdue’s new model is its pod structure, interdisciplinary teams organized around academic units and programs. Pods include fundraisers, prospect development professionals, stewardship experts, and administrators, promoting collaboration and a holistic view of donors. Regular pod meetings review donor metrics, discuss key prospects, and develop customized engagement strategies.
“It’s our goal that some portion of what we shared can be utilized within your organization or your specific unit,” said Deakins.
To guide their pod discussions and engagement strategies, Purdue uses a quadrant system based on capacity and affinity. Fundraisers can then tailor outreach to each quadrant, from broad-based marketing to principled gifts.
“We think about where is the best place for broad based to be successful,” explained Miller. “Where’s the best place for our major gifts team and our principal gifts team to be successful?”
Purdue also revamped its metrics and reporting to focus on donor relationships, not just dollars raised. Scorecards now evaluate factors like substantive contacts, proposals, and ask amounts in addition to revenue. Quarterly business reviews discuss strategy and gaps across the entire fundraising pipeline. According to Turner, “It helps with pipeline generation. It helps them see how big their basis, does the constituency match … and how are they making sure to build out the bottom of their pyramid?”
By organizing around donors, not institutions, and crafting metrics that matter for the long term, Purdue University created a model to maximize donor participation. Overall, the podcast highlights how nonprofit fundraisers at any organization can implement donor-centric strategies to build a strong philanthropic pipeline. Pod structures, quadrant-based segmentation, and relationship-focused metrics are practical takeaways for fundraisers looking to strengthen donor engagement.
View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.