This session has passed. DPP members can access a video recording, slides, and other materials shared by the presenter. We also hold a small group discussion the week after every presentation for further discussion and networking! Make sure to sign up here to get access.

Matthew Lambert, CEO, William & Mary Foundation, and Dan Frezza,  Associate Vice President for Strategic Operations & Annual Giving guided a Donor Participation Project session on the details of their successful alumni giving participation strategy during their last campaign.

Some interesting takeaways were:

• Every donor interaction mentioned the three campaign goals of increasing alumni engagement, increasing alumni giving participation, and reaching the campaign’s dollar goal.
• They exploded their alumni engagement from about 10,000 touchpoints with alumni per year at the start of the campaign to over 30,000 by the last year of the campaign.
• They grew their Class Ambassadors program from 200 to over 800 volunteers.
• Their Giving Day also grew exponentially, and they viewed it as both an engagement and giving participation opportunity.
• Leadership (President, Board, VP Advancement) must make participation a priority.
• It is not a matter of either raising given dollar amounts OR achieving a participation goal, it has to be seen as giving AND participation.
• Success requires a broad-based focus, across campus.
• Diversification of the donor base is key (i.e. women in philanthropy, underrepresented populations).
• The main indicators of giving habits are: giving history, consistency, frequency, and gift amount.
• You must choose one among these three high-level goals: Retention, Reactivation, Acquisition. It will most likely be Retention.
• With Reactivation, time is not on your side. After 5 years, donors are as likely to come back as a non-donor.
• In the Acquisition bucket, newly graduated students were an important source of growth.
• Key drivers of their success were: increased retention (year over year giving), increased gift frequency (within a year), stewardship of good behavior (i.e. consecutive giving society).

Learn more about the Donor Participation Project and sign up here.