Strategic Initiatives and Tactics A Two-Year Plan ... · Donors - # for each INVOLVE Alumni...

Strategic Initiatives and Tactics

A Two-Year Plan

September, 2018

Key Recommendations by Andrew Shaindlin, Alumni Relations Consultant, May 2016

• Provide a monthly dashboard that highlights the key areas of

the Case Alumni Association and Case Alumni Foundation

• Share dashboard with Case Alumn Association Board of

Directors, Case Alumn Foundation Board of Directors, Dean of

Case School of Engineering, Vice President of Case School of

Engineering, Associate Dean of Development - Case School of

Engineering, Dean of College of Arts & Sciences, and Assistant

Dean of Development for College of Arts & Sciences.

• Key elements of the dashboard will be…..

Case Alumni Association Focus Areas with Accountability

INVEST Annual Fund – Dollars

raised, Donors, Avg. Gift,

Participation rate, Cost

per dollar raised

Planned Giving –

Dollars received, Donors,

New Letters of Intent #/$,

Total Letters of Intent #/$

Stewardship – Case

Dean’s Society, 21st

Century, Endowment

Donors - # for each

INVOLVE Alumni Engagement

Index (attendees +

volunteers + donors)/total

reachable.

Case Alumni Boards

(CAA & CAF) – Dollars,

Donors, % of

participation, meeting /

committee attendance

Advisory Board (CSE &

CAS) – Dollars, Donors,

% of participation,

meeting / committee

attendance

INFORM Marketing & Brand

Promise – subjective

measures and samples

Web Site – Web traffic

and statistics & analysis

Social Media/E-Blasts –

traffic and open rates.

Statistics & analysis.

INFRASTRUCTURE Data Base – Good mail

%, Good Email %, Good

phone %, Lost %,

Business info %

Gift Processing - # Gifts

Entered, # Address

Updates

Foundation Activities –

Endowment Value,

Investment Return,

Unrestricted Balance,

Distribution to date (fiscal

year)

Alumni Engagement Initiatives

Committee Purpose: responsible for developing programs and strategies to create greater visibility for the Case Alumni Association among alumni/students of CSE/CAS

Define alumni lifecycle

• Students (-8 to 0 years from graduation)

• Young alumni

• Young mid-career

• Peak career

• Late career/retired

Develop programming specific for each phase of alumni lifecycle

Develop programming for specialty groups: international, affiliate, discipline-specific

Engage and develop alumni volunteers

• Develop job descriptions for volunteers (opportunities from all committees): time

commitment/frequency/duration

• Create scripts for the “ask” for engaging alumni as volunteers

Stakeholder interactions: communication with other committees: Communications,

Nominating, Scholarship/Grants

= Now= Last year

Staff driven, reactive, minimal volunteer input

Engaged, proactive, alumni volunteer

committee with TFs, subcommittees, structure and succession planning

These indicators show how progress is being made (moving the needle)

9/18/2018 5

Key Observations by Andrew Shaindlin, Alumni Relations Consultant, May 2016

• The ability to phase out a program that is no longer effective or necessary is

critical if new programs and innovation need to occur. However, due to the lack of

a strategic plan, staff lack clarity over to which might be best to phase out or

terminate.

• The staffing and budget is adequate for the scale of the alumni body and the

current programming needs ($25.91 per alumnus; staff to alumni ratio of 5,951:1.

Based on comparison to Private College and University Alumni Directors

organization.

Key Observations by Andrew Shaindlin, Alumni Relations Consultant, May 2016

• The Division of Engineering Leadership & Professional Practice (DELPP)

program is of real value in increasing alumni engagement, with a variety of

alumni engagement and campus partnerships.

• Co-op alumni in particular generally recognize the value of this specific

opportunity and will respond positively to requests to help current co-op students

in turn.

• Career support for alumni is a key area to develop for increased engagement.

Recommendation from Andrew Shaindlin, May 2016• CAA should establish a formal alumni career support partnership to ensure this

critical program area obtains the attention and support it requires.

• Staff suggestions include identification of Natural Partners:

• Division of Engineering Leadership & Professional Practice (DELPP)

• Office of Associate Dean of Academics – Case School of Engineering

• Provide alumni support for NAME OF COURSE HERE (ENG 398)

• Provide alumni support for Engineer’s Week.

• Create partnership and collaborative programs with CSE Co-Op Office

• Create a program of networking opportunities for alumni and partner with faculty of various engineering and science disciplines

A new opportunity identified:

Case Alumni Association Professional Network

The Case Alumni Association Professional Network will

connect members of the Case Alumni Association community by

areas of discipline, while helping current undergraduates

leverage the world-famous Case Alumni Association Network.

Our Professional Networks will also allow alumni and students

to inspire each other as they engage with the university.

Example: Colgate University Alumni Professional Network

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Vn4sKcedQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Vn4sKcedQ

Young Alumni

Age: 22- 31

2009-2018

Pool: 4,206 (18%)

Career Focus

Family Raising

Early Career

Age: 32- 45

1995-2008

Pool: 5,699 (25%)

Professional education

Family Raising

Mid-Career

Age: 46-58

1982-1994

Pool: 4986 (22%)

Professional Education

Becoming Empty Nesters

Late Career/Retirement

Age: 58+

1982 and back

Pool: 8,054 (35%)

Continuing Education + General Subjects

Planning on or in retirement years

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjEWvD_9sfs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjEWvD_9sfs

When creating engagement opportunities, keep in mind where our alumni/donors live…

1 Cleveland 4535 468 10.3%

2 Akron/Canton 901 82 9.1%

3 New York City 673 68 10.1%

4 DC Metro 671 95 14.2%

5 Pittsburgh 621 45 7.2%

6 Chicago 579 57 9.8%

7 Boston 525 61 11.6%

8 Columbus 525 50 9.5%

9 Los Angeles 482 61 12.7%

10 San Francisco 435 46 10.6%

11 San Jose 415 45 10.8%

12 Cincinnati 408 41 10.1%

13 Philadelphia 380 47 12.4%

14 Detroit 295 33 11.2%

15 Houston 294 42 14.3%

16 Seattle 276 31 11.9%

17 Baltimore 236 28 11.9%

18 Minneapolis 232 25 10.8%

19 Atlanta 215 28 13.0%

20 San Diego 195 17 8.7%

20 Dallas 195 22 11.3%

Rank Metro Area Alumni Donors Rank Metro Area Alumni Donors

Recently developed and existing Alumni Professional Network programs

Academics (CSE)• ENG398 Professional Communications

for Engineers• WiSR Mentoring App

• Alumni Panel Discussions

• DELPP Leadership Workshop• Alumni Panel Discussions

• Alumni Guest Speakers

• Alumni Networking reception and dinner at end of workshop

• Engineer’s Week• Partner with Case Engineer’s Council

• Alumni attendees (possible judges)

• CAA continues as lead sponsor

• Cooperative Education Office• Partner on Career Fair with Co-Op office and Career Services

• Develop program to promote Co-Op placement with alumni leaders

Professional Conferences• Materials Science & Technology Conference

• OTEC Conference

• American Institute of Chemical Engineering Conference

• Consumer Electronic Show Develop opportunities to create networking opportunities,

panel discussions and introduce volunteer opportunities within

the CAA Professional Network.

Endowed Speaker Programs• Higley Lecture for Civil Engineering

• Eltech Lecture for Chemical Engineering

• Margie & Jim Emshoff Speaker Series for Women In

Engineering and Science Roundtable

New Alumni Professional Network Areas to Explore

Academics (CSE)• Women In Technology Initiative

• Support an alumni to student mentoring program

• Guest alumni speakers/alumni panel discussions

• Explore opportunities throughout CSE/CAS

• Committee to create guidelines on what to support

Student Organizations• Create speakers bureau / mentor program

for student organizations, such as:

• National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, Baja SAE, Radio Club, Rocket Team, etc.

Homecoming/reunions (themes based on professions)

• Dean’s ShowCASE

• Affinity Reunions

• Alumni Profiles in Success (use award videos on website highlighting successful alumni)

Immediate Opportunity:

Introducing Dean RaguIdea: Create a series of events in

Cleveland/Akron Metropolitan Areas

Meet the Dean breakfast/lunch events

• Hosted by alumni leaders in targeted areas

• Suggestion: Opening comments by Dean Ragu

followed by Q/A format

• Every event sponsored by CAA, no matter where in

the country, needs to include the Dean

• Optional welcome video by Dean Ragu when he

cannot be in attendance

Initiative: Alumni Professional Network programs for CSE academic

• Objective: Provide fulfilling volunteer opportunities

to alumni in various academic programs within CSE.

• Work with Assoc. Dean of Academics to identify

opportunities

• Objectives: Develop a deeper pool of volunteers

and identify future board members for advisory

boards, CAA and CAF.

• Introduce Alumni Career Network app to CSE

Students and alumni

• Promoting Alumni-Student mentoring

• Promoting Alumni-Alumni mentoring

• Introduce Case Connection (CAA Online Alumni

Directory) to alumni association members.

• Current & New opportunities: ENG 368, DELPP,

DELPP Student Group Bootcamps, Co-Op Office,

Women In Science & Engineering Roundtable

mentoring initiative, Women in Technology Initiative,

E-Week programs and reception.

Other areas to explore: Academic Departments

programs and events, student organizations, ThinkBox

volunteer program (including mentors and judges for

student competitions).

Evaluation:

We will survey participants and use a net promoter

score. In addition, we will engage in small group

discussions with faculty and staff.

We will implement an alumni engagement index for the

entire alumni engagement program.

Results of all of these will be shared with the Alumni

Engagement Steering Committee for discussion and

review. Results will be posted quarterly on the board

dashboard and reports given regularly at board

meetings.

Initiative: Alumni Professional Network developed for Professional Organization Events

Objective: To create events focused on careers in a

specific area of engineering or science at professional

conferences.

Current Professional Conferences being developed

and scheduled:

• Materials Science & Technology Conference

(Materials Science & Engineering)

• American Institute of Chemical Engineering

(Chemical Engineering)

• Ohio Transportation and Engineering Conference

(Civil Engineering)

• Consumer Electronics Show (Launchnet &

ThinkBox)

• International Society for Magnetic Resonance in

Medicine Conference (Bio Medical Engineering)

Program Messaging

• Introduce concept of Alumni Professional Network

• Eventually create a video similar to Colgate

University

• Review volunteer opportunities with academic

programs and alumni-to-alumni mentoring

• Review volunteer opportunities in planning future

events at annual professional conference

Evaluation: We will survey participants and use a net

promoter score. In addition, we will engage in small group

discussions with faculty and staff.

We will implement an alumni engagement index for the

entire alumni engagement program.


Engagement Steering Committee for discussion and

review. Results will be posted quarterly on the board

dashboard and reports given regularly at board meetings.

Initiative: Alumni Professional Network programs –The Endowed Speaker Series

Objective: To work with department chairs that have

endowed speakers and promote alumni attendance.

Audience: Northeast Ohio Alumni is the primary audience.

Secondary audience is remainder of alumni membership

(explore streaming speakers on boxcast).

• Additional primary audience is the current student

body. Work with Department Chair to invite them.

Current Endowed Funds for Speakers:

• Higley Lecture for Civil Engineering

• Eltech Lecture for Chemical Engineering

• Margie & Jim Emshoff Speaker Series for Women

In Engineering and Science Roundtable

• Note: target audience is current students.

Program Messaging:

• Introduce concept of Alumni Professional Network

• Eventually create a video similar to Colgate

University

• Review volunteer opportunities with academic

programs and alumni-to-alumni mentoring

Evaluation: We will survey participants and use a net promoter

score. In addition, we will engage in small group discussions

with faculty and staff.

We will implement an alumni engagement index for the entire

alumni engagement program.


Engagement Steering Committee for discussion and review.

Results will be posted quarterly on the board dashboard and

reports given regularly at board meetings

2018-19 Case Alumni Association Schedule of Events (as of Aug. 15, 2018)

Aug. 9 Energy Industry Day Professional Networking Event (co-sponsored w/ GLEI)

Aug. 21 Freshman Welcome

Aug. 22 CAA Board Social,Market Garden - Ohio City

Sep. 11 Case Alumni Foundation Board Meeting

Sep. 20 Case Alumni Association Board Meeting

Oct. 3 OTEC Professional Network Event –Columbus, OH

Oct. 11 – 15 Homecoming / Reunion Weekend

Oct. 15 MS&T Professional Network Event –Columbus, OH

Oct. 29 AIChE Professional Network Event –Pittsburgh, PA

Nov. TBD Northeast OH Planned Giving Event

Nov. 15 Case Alumni Association Board Meeting

Dec. 4 Case Alumni Foundation Board Meeting

Jan. 8-11 Consumer Electronics Show Professional

Networking Event – Las Vegas, NV

Feb. 28 Engineer’s Week Reception Professional

Networking Event – NEO

Mar. TBD ARPA-e Professional Networking Event –

Washington, D.C.

Mar. TBD Scholarship Reception

Mar. 26 Case Alumni Foundation Board Meeting

Mar. 28 Case Alumni Association Board Meeting

Apr. TBD Northeast OH Planned Giving Event

Apr. TBD Eltech Lecture Series – Northeast Ohio

Professional Networking Event

May TBD Welcome to the CAA Event – Cleveland, OH

June TBD MRI International Conference Professional

Network Event – Montreal, Canada

New Alumni Engagement volunteer structure

• Alumni Engagement Steering Committee

• 3 to 5 members of the Board of Directors, Executive Director and

Director of Alumni Relations.

• Meets 2 to 3 times per year.

• Identify areas that need an ad hoc task force & sets objectives

• Examples: Special reunions (50th, fraternity, special affinity, etc.), Professional

Conference planning (MS&T planning, host, etc.), etc.

• Task forces will have specific area of concentration and a defined time period.

• Focus on giving opportunities non-board members to get involved. Board members

can “feed the pipeline of volunteers.”

New Metric: Alumni Engagement IndexA recommendation from Andrew Shaindlin, May 2016

• One long-term goal is to correlate alumni activities with desired alumni behaviors.

• To assess the most basic scale of alumni engagement use the formula:

(event attendees + donors + volunteers) – duplicates

Total reachable alumni

• This yields a percentage of alumni engaged in School alumni offerings. This metric can be scaled down for segments of population (location, class, where on alumni lifecycle, degree, academic department, etc.).

• In May 2016, our alumni engagement index was 12.1%. This can serve as an internal benchmark.

Communications Committee: Initiatives

Committee

Purpose:

responsible for

directing

communication

strategy aimed at

engaging alumni

and enhancing the

brand and visibility

of the Case Alumni

Association among

alumni and students

of CSE/CAS.

Establish editorial review board

•Represent different generations of alumni lifecycle

•Review and provide feedback on communications and metrics

Define communications strategy

•Assess different communications channels

•Align communications channels:

•CAA communications needs

•Alumni/Student preferences

Collaborate with other areas of CAA (Alumni relations, Alumni Engagement, etc.) on communications needs

Create plan to develop and grow these communications tools

Establish and utilize communications channels

Continuous improvement: review and evaluate communications channels’ effectiveness and adjust

Stakeholder interactions: communication with other committees: Alumni Engagement, Nominating,

Scholarship/Grants

= Now= Last year

Staff driven, channels not

strategically chosen ,

minimal volunteer input

Educated, knowledgeable, alumni and

students; alumni review board with

representative of demographics of alumni

9/18/2018 21

Vision of the Communications Program • Our aim is to engage more alumni, increase the visibility of the Case Alumni Association

among alumni, students and the public, and rebrand CAA as a professional development

network with new communication strategies.

• New initiatives will include:

• The formation of an alumni Editorial Board to guide and critique communications efforts

• The launch of a podcast, Thinkbox Radio, to tap the maker movement and broaden the

reputation of the Case School of Engineering

• Better and more frequent use of LinkedIn to engage alumni seeking career development

• Better and more frequent use of videos to present who we are and what we do in engaging

style

• Enhanced metrics to inform and guide our efforts

Case Alumni Association Communication Channels

Casealum.org

Changing from a Communications Committee to an Editorial Board• The board will help guide and critique communication strategy. It will be made up of six to

seven alumni who represent different phases of the Alumni Lifecycle, meeting 3 to 4 times

a year, with some members joining remotely. Recruitment has begun.

• Tasks: The board’s main task will be to implement the Communication Plan, starting with

assessing the current slate of publications and platforms. Rather quickly, the board will be

asked to review all of our communication strategies, to align them with the Alumni

Lifecycle, and discuss strategies to grow these audiences

• Initially, the board will review and critique Case Alumnus, our flagship publication. This

will help them gain confidence as reviewers and editors.

• As they examine the phases of the alumni lifecycle, board members will match age

groups to communication platforms, devise strategies for engaging various groups, and

decide how to measure the results.

New Channel: Podcast - Think[box] Radio

• Working with the webmaster (Alex) as producer, we plan to

launch a podcast that will highlight the research and innovation

underway at the Case School of Engineering. It will leverage

the reputation of thinkbox in the national maker movement for

status and visibility. First taping is scheduled for late August.

National debut with the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show.

• We plan on broadcasting live from the Consumer Electronics Show.

Our hope is to utilize boxcast as the platform. We have asked for input

from Gordon Daly, CEO of Boxcast and a former board member of the

Case Alumni Association.

Better utilization of LinkedIn

• LinkedIn is our most underutilized social media platform and is

ripe to be exploited. With the help of our webmaster, we’ll study

best practices among alumni associations and groups and start

with the technical changes needed to produce an engaging

LinkedIn page.

• There’s probably a need to move into other social media

platforms, like Snapchat. The challenge will be find the staff and

time to do so.

The New Trend: Using videos to tell the story on all channels of communication

• The smartphone gives everyone on staff, and our volunteers, video

capability. We plan to guide our colleagues, and volunteers, toward

taping excerpts from events, interviews and scenes to create short,

energetic videos that help explain who we are and what we do.

• We need to produce a presentation-quality video that explains the

Case Alumni Foundation

• We need to identify opportunities to tell our story via video on an on-

going basis

• Develop guidelines on shooting a quality video via smartphones

Enhanced Communication Metrics

• The Editorial Board will help decide what methods should be used to calculate the success or failure of our new messaging. The idea is to go beyond the basic dashboard we have now to gain a fuller idea of the impact of our efforts and where to make changes.

• Initially, we’ll identify three communication platforms to track, and then set goals

2017-18 Social Media MetricsJuly Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June

Facebook

Followers 618 622 626 626 649 649 652 662 669 774 783 854

Facebook Posts 5 20 25 23 23 10 20 38 21 34 37 39

Linkedin Members 2410 2409 2418 2418 2418 2415 2415 2415 2415 2414 2414 2414

Linkedin Posts 2 12 19 10 14 2 2 3 4 3 4 8

Twitter Followers 350 349 349 349 349 378 411 442 461 492 503 525

Tweets/Retweets 41 104 195 179 162 194 106

Website Page

Views 764 565 543 737 470 674 886 1000 1200 3,300 1500 1100

Email Blasts 3 0 4 2 0 6 3 4 4 12 2 5

Instagram

Followers 105 111 156 178 194

Instagram Posts 6 9 8 8 22

Case Alumni Foundation:

Annual Fund & Planned Giving

Committee Purpose: To offer advice and give testimonial on the impact of giving to the annual fund and planned gifts in support of the Case School of Engineering and science and mathematics.

= Now= Last year

Staff driven, with minimal input from volunteers

While driven by staff on a daily basis, the alumni volunteers

are actively involved in giving feedback to annual efforts and

donor recognition.

9/18/2018 31

Set metrics of growth, standard reports and strategy• Annual Fund: retaining donors, reacquiring lapsed donors, and acquiring new donors

• Planned Giving: Number of commitments / Amount pledged

Develop a formal donor recognition program• Case Dean’s Society and 21st Century Society

• Note: Committeeneeds to discuss a new name for 21st Centure Society

Interface with Communications Committee to develop new strategies within the alumni lifecycle

• Creatively utilize appropriate channels of communication for strategies within the alumni

lifecycle

Annual Fund for the Case School of Engineering

Annual Fund Goals

Donor Retention Rate 80%

Lapsed Donor Reacquisition Rate 30%

New Donor Acqusition 110+

https://bloomerang.co/retention

https://bloomerang.co/retention

Case Fund: Annual Fund for the Case School of Engineering

75%

71%

74%

80%

66%

68%

70%

72%

74%

76%

78%

80%

82%

Donor Retention % (Goal 80%)

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18


25%

28%

22%

26%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Lapsed Donors Reacquisition (Goal 30%)

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18


110

113

117

106

108

110

112

114

116

118

New Donor Acquisition

2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

Young AlumniAge: 22- 31 2009-2018

68 new donors163 total donors (7%)

Pool: 4,206 (18%)Career Focus

Family Raising

Early CareerAge: 32- 45 1995-2008


Pool: 5,699 (25%)Professional education

Family Raising

Mid-CareerAge: 46-58 1982-1994


Pool: 4,986 (22%)Professional Education

Becoming Empty Nesters

Late Career/RetirementAge: 58+

1982 and back16 new donors

1,541 total donors (66%)Pool: 8,054 (35%)

Planning on or in retirement.

2017-2018

New Alumni Donors / Total Alumni Donors

College StudentAge: 18-22High School recruit


$1,245,102

$1,648,103 $1,777,059

$1,906,012 $1,908,283

$2,490,623 $2,378,845

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

Dollars Raised

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

2018-19 Annual Fund Goals

• Amount: $2,400,000

• Donors: 2,800• Note: University development team is educating all development

teams that we will need to monitor donor reaction to the conclusion of the capital campaign.


• Giving Catalogs – Something to consider

https://falconfunded.bgsu.edu/

https://www.casealum.org/joeprahlfund

https://falconfunded.bgsu.edu/

https://www.casealum.org/joeprahlfund

Case Alumni Foundation’s Planned Giving Program

• Primarily utilizing the direct mail and website program offered by Stelter Planned Giving, the purpose of the planned giving program is the enhancement of Gift Planning efforts in order to better increase awareness of opportunities for Alumni to support Case Alumni Foundation with their estate plans.

• A secondary outcome is the strengthening of our partnership with the CSE Development team and to provide support for their efforts.


• Marketing begins with mid-career professionals and becomes critically important for the late career/retired professionals. These are the key time frames for alumni to consider and solidify their gift plans. Early career professionals may benefit from hearing stories of ways to support; Seminars about gift planning could be appealing to mid and late career professionals.


• Mail (Stelter) is the main channel for Gift Planning marketing

efforts – 3 mailings per year x 5,000 pieces; mail will also be

used for Spring/Fall seminar postcard invites.

• Email reinforcement (3-4 times per year in e-newsletters) with

gift planning stories, links to planning calculator, reminders.

Contact information. Email blast reminding donors of IRA

donations at year end (Annual Fund)

• Social Media – maybe Linkedin if there’s a connection


• A variety of messages will be conveyed, but the main theme will be to reinforce the potential donor’s ability to support the needs of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences through different gift planning vehicles.

• A hoped for action is that prospective donors will return the “reply card’ from the mailings. Once they are obtained, giving history will be run and results shared with the CSE team within 4-6 weeks of the mail drop. Prospects will be divided up for follow up.

• The message should be on-going and repeated in multiple publications per year. Stelter mailings will be scheduled by taking other initiatives (annual fund, magazine) in to consideration as to not overwhelm the mailing list. Suggested for October, January & May. Work with communications to ensure inclusion in e-newsletters and magazines.

Planned Giving Program Metrics and Evaluation

• Specific program metrics will be developed for this

effort, and may include some of the items below:

• Prospect pool - # of financial supporters over 55 who

have donated in the last 2 years

• Enquirers – return response cards from mailings

• Intenders – those who have indicated intent

• Existing pledgers – Have said yes to a direct ask

• Known pledgers – No legacy conversation, but leaves a

gift in their estate

• Unknown pledgers – no known organizational

connection, but gift made (should be very rare for CAF

as all prospective donors are also alumni)

• Print/Digital materials

• Content developed on time

• Message integration/promotion beyond Stelter

newsletters

• Engagement with CSE staff on prospects and follow up

• Refinement of standardized “forms”

• Integration of Foundation messaging

• Gift Planning Educational events

• Scheduled and planned for2018- 2019

• % Increase in attendance?

• Targeted mailing list


Scholarship & Student Grants Committee: Initiatives

Committee Purpose:To serve and advance the interests of the Case Alumni Association among alumni/students of CSE/CAS through strategically focused awarding ofscholarship funds and student organization grants

Develop and maintain processes for awarding scholarships and grants• Jr/Sr Scholarship• Goodyear Scholarship• SOURCE Program• Student organizations• Leadership Scholarship• Binary student scholarships and graduate fellowships• First and Second-Year Dean’s Choice Scholarship• New Scholarships

• International Students • Graduate Students

Engage and develop alumni volunteersDevelop job descriptions for volunteers: time commitment/frequency/durationCreate scripts for the “ask” for engaging alumni as volunteers

Stakeholder interactions: communication with other committees: Communications, Alumni Relations, Foundation, Finance

= Now= Last year

Alumni driven, proactive,active limited volunteer input

Engaged, proactive, large alumni volunteer committee with TFs, subcommittees, structure and succession planning

Case Alumni Foundation: Funding Student OrganizationsPurpose:

To enhance overall exposure and funding for all officially recognized student organizations at the Case

Alumni Association

Opportunities

• The Foundation Board in 2017-18 decided that moving forward an annual task force of 3 board

members/volunteers will review the student organization requests and report recommendations for

funding. This process will need to be developed in 2018-19.

• The Student Organization Funding Task Force will develop a compliance reporting structure for

the student organization.

• The Student Organization Funding Task force will make recommendation on the on-going effort

to tell the impact stories of student group funding.

• The CAA Staff will work with CSE Development team to identify opportunities to create

endowed funds for student group funding.

Case Alumni Foundation: Scholarship Compliance Program

Purpose:

To clarify and execute the compliance of non-Junior/Senior Scholarships held by the CAF by the

Scholarship Committee. In addition, continue to review the Junior/Senior Scholarship Program.

Opportunties:

• There will need to be educational meetings with the Scholarship Committee, followed by meetings

with CAF Board and CWRU financial aid department leadership.

• A report will be created detailing all required deadlines for CAF needed by external staff for

scholarship recipients; CAA website will be revamped to reflect the non-Junior/Senior scholarships

for potential students.

• This will be an extensive overhaul as it involves many outside sources, however the end goal is to

have full compliance by 6/30/20.

Case Alumni Foundation:Telling the StoryPurpose:

We need to enhance our communication of the impact made on the overall student experience via the funding of student organizations.

Opportunity:

• Story lines exist on both sides of the process. The impact of the student experience through the organizations as well as the impact of the donors investment into the program.

• There will be a dedicated area on the website to tell the stories. We will also utilize social media

• This will need input from the Editorial Board.

• Evaluation of this program will come from feedback from committee members, development staff, and potential donors. The scholarship committee will need to discuss this further.

https://vimeo.com/146958203

https://vimeo.com/146958203


Donor Relations & Non-Scholarship Endowed Funds

Foundation Board: To offer advice and give testimonial on the impact of giving to the Case Alumni Foundation and recognition of donors and volunteers.

= Now= Last year

Staff driven, with minimal input from volunteers

While driven by staff on a daily basis, the alumni volunteers are actively involved in Case

Fund, Planned Giving and stewardship roles

9/18/2018 49

Develop a formal donor recognition program• Case Dean’s Society, 21st Century Society, Endowed Funds, Volunteers, etc.

Develop a formal stewardship program for non-scholarship endowed funds • Compliance with donor intent• Communications with donors and their families

Interface with Communications Committee to develop an awareness campaign for the Case Alumni Foundation

Case Alumni Foundation: Compliance

To formalize and execute a compliance program for the non-scholarship endowed funds of the Case Alumni Foundation in order to ensure donor intent is being followed. Additionally, by formalizing the program the established compliance requirements will assist with the proper creation of new funds.

What’s the objective or intended outcome?

Grant recipients will understand the need to ensure funds are being expended in line with donor intent and the requirement to report back annually. The initial focus will be on education, communication and awareness of the importance of the initiative.

Audience

• Primary Audience: Fund Recipients

• Secondary Audiences: Departmental staff, finance staff, CAF board, CAA/CAF staff


Due to the complex nature and “newness” of what we are asking fund recipients to do, in person meetings are the preferred method of communication with the primary audience, with email and phone follow ups.

Group presentations or in person meetings with the secondary audiences will take place plus additional email follow up.

Message/Actions

• Research all non-scholarship endowed funds for donor intent

• Create a report to be shared with the deans, fund recipients and finance staff to clearly convey the purpose of

the fund and the amount being granted.

• Create an educational presentation for the fund recipients that focuses on the importance of reporting back who

the funds were used in a timely manner.

• Create grant terms & conditions sheet to convey expectations and timelines; require sign offs

• Create award notification template


• Meet with all fund holders to explain new requirements and timelines

• Determine compliance process for Prize Funds that are awarded – research current process. (Awarded upon

request? When committee description states member of CAA on committee, who?) – Work on this with Janna

to determine scope of need and involvement.

• Understand and refine internal processes for grant distribution – set monthly meetings with Tom

• Create board resolutions for the 34 funds that do not currently have them on file (signed); continue to investigate

those who have unsigned resolutions on file (7). Prepare 1-2 for the September 2018 CAF Board Meeting. Work

with Janna to obtain standard language and format.

• Create a compliance process for discretionary funds that are awarded throughout the year. Create two

application forms – requests over $5,000 and under. Look for clarification regarding purpose (scholarship vs.

capital or staffing). Determine parameters for acceptable asks including permission from department chairs,

deans, etc. Work with Tom to establish annual budget for discretionary grants. Work with Janna, Tom & Steve on

approval process.


What is the timing and context?

• Complete research and creation of reports by 9/1/18

• Present new compliance program to all stakeholders by 11/1/18 (or before first check is disbursed)

• Required in person meeting with Emily & Steve to introduce program and roll out

• Review funds that they will be receiving and any restrictions

• Review terms and conditions of the award and reporting requirements

• Require signature of fund recipient on award notification letter

• Fund recipients to report back no later than 6/15/19 regarding use of funds

• How will we evaluate the success of the program (metrics)?

• As a first time program, all metrics are “best guesses” at this point and will likely need to be reviewed and modified after year one.

• Initial thoughts are:• Resolutions created and filed• Faculty response/participation (Timeliness of reports being filed from departments)• Reports created/reviewed• Compliance with donor intent• Setting parameters for new funds – donor intent

Case Alumni Foundation: Stewardship of non-endowed scholarship fundsBased on a directive (Dec. 2017) from the Case Alumni Foundation board of directors, we will formalize a stewardship

program for the donors of the non-scholarship endowed funds of the Case Alumni Foundation.

What is the intended outcome?

• Develop a formal stewardship program for non-scholarship endowed funds.

• Creation of a communication plan for donors & families, or other appropriate stakeholders (board of Directors)

Audience

• The primary audience is donors who have established non-scholarship endowed funds. Most stewardship donors will

likely be late career/retired in the alumni life cycle.

• Secondary audiences are families of donors who are deceased, so that we can assure them that their loved ones intent

is being followed, and the CAF Board, who will receive stewardship reports when there are no longer logical contacts

attached to a fund.

Case Alumni Foundation: Stewardship of non-endowed scholarship funds• Notifying donors that we are in compliance with their intent is a key priority, as is ensuring

they are aware of the impact their fund is having on the students and faculty. We will

include copies of the resolutions to the CAF board when they are reviewing reports.

• Research is underway to ensure we can capture meaningful information from the

beneficiaries to communicate back to the donors.

• Work to ensure that donors with multiple endowed funds are getting reports on all their

investments.

• As a first time program, all metrics are “best guesses” at this point and will likely need to be reviewed and modified at 6 months and after the first year.

• Number of reports created/distributed

• Verification of compliance with donor intent

Case Alumni Foundation: Donor & Volunteer Recognition Programs

Opportunity

• Update and enhance the current recognition program to be more meaningful for Case Dean’s Society, 21st Century and

Endowed Fund donors. Build additional stewardship touches in to current program. Look at options to rebrand the 21st

Century Society.

• Build a volunteer (board) service recognition program into this area.

Objective

• A more robust donor stewardship and recognition program for Case Dean’s Society, 21st Century, and endowed fund

donors as well as volunteers. Donors will feel continued connectivity to the organization, leading to increased recurring

giving (year to year) and ultimately making endowed fund gifts in their lifetimes or estate gifts. Work to recognize

volunteers in this effort.

• We will need to determine what is meaningful to this group – an annual dinner/event; invitations to participate in special

event with the Dean; recognition on a permanent donor wall; and/or increased communication from CAF are all options

to explore.

Case Alumni Foundation: Donor & Volunteer Recognition ProgramsMessage/Actions

• Increase ability to provide high-level stewardship:

• Re-purpose Board Development Committee into a Stewardship Committee/Task Force that works on all efforts in this area

• All Case Dean’s Society members over $5,000 get a personal note from a board member or staff

• Case Dean’s Society over 10K get a call from ED and BOT member

• In some cases, letter/note from professor/student who benefit from giving (case by case basis).

• Ongoing review of donor thank you letters to ensure most timely information is being used in content.

• “Thank-a-thon” effort investigated

• Integrate volunteer recognition programming as well

• Institute specific requirements regarding recognition of gifts that go to the University. Especially when gifts are being used for capital

purposes: William and Mayme DeGrace Endowment Fund of the Case Alumni Association in all written materials/signage.

• Work with communications and stewardship committees to create new name for 21st Century Society. Research key alumnus (historical),

key date or perhaps a science/engineering term or experiment.

Case Alumni Foundation: Donor & Volunteer Recognition Programs• Additional recognition for endowed fund donors in the Annual Achievement Report –they are not currently

acknowledged unless they have made an annual gift – use the opportunity to market endowed funds also.

What is the timing and context?

• This is an on-going effort that will need to be continuously monitored and adjusted. However, all thank you calls

should be taking place within 1 week of the gift.

• Rebrand of the 21 Century Society by June 2019 (rolled out in the 18-19 Achievement Report)

How will we evaluate the success of the program (metrics)?

• Number of contacts made by Stewardship Committee

• Is there a measurable increase in CDS donors renewing support? Increase in annual support?

• Measurable increase in support for stewarded donors vs non stewarded?

• If there’s an event, attendance?

Operations: Initiatives

The day to day operations are managed by the executive director and chief financial officer. The executive committee serves as a governance body and as advisory counsel

= Now= Last year

Currently driven by the E.D. and CFO with input from Ex

Comm

Documented operations that are transparent throughout the

organization

9/18/2018 59

Standard work and continuous improvement• Upgrade accounting system to Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT• Update the accounting manual for policies and procedures• Create a manual for executive directors normal monthly activities• Create a short manual to explain procedure of the audit committee and finance committee• Complete the digitizing of the alumni files

Succession planning for key positions• Executive director, chief financial officer, directors• Develop standard job descriptions

Board interface procedures• Create an orientation for new board members of the Case Alumni Association and Case Alumni Foundation• Create procedures for board meetings and committee meetings• Identify and implement remote meeting technologies• Annually upgrade online board directory and policies/procedures manual

Case Alumni Association, Inc.:OperationsStandard Operations and Continuous Improvement:

• CFO will upgrade accounting system to Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT • Will communicate process to Finance Committee

• CFO will continue to update the accounting manual for policies and procedures

• Will work with the Finance and Audit Committees

• Executive Director will create a manual of normal monthly activities

• Executive Director and CFO will create annual operating procedures for the investment, finance and audit committees.

• Executive Director and CFO will annually update the Fast Facts of the Case Alumni Foundation

Case Alumni Association, Inc.:Operations• Executive Director and Manager of Executive Office will create annual

operating procedures for the awards and nominating committees

• Executive Director and CFO will create annual operating procedures for the executive committee

• Executive Director and CFO will create annual operating procedures for the Case Alumni Foundation

• Manager of the Executive Office will complete the digitizing of the alumni files

Case Alumni Association, Inc.:Operations• Review and create job descriptions for all paid employees and

consultants

• Create a procedures manual for each paid employee and consultant

• Create a job description for work-study and non-work students that includes daily duties and reporting structure

Case Alumni Association, Inc.:Board Relations• Create an orientation program for new board members of the Case Alumni

Association and Case Alumni Foundation

• Create procedures for all board and committee meetings• This will include an annual calendar of all board and committee meetings• This will include standard meeting agenda and minutes templates• This will include submitting minutes from each to the Manager of Executive Office to

post on the board website

• Identify and implement remote meeting technology for all board and committee meetings

• Beta test has begun with ZOOM online conferencing.

• Annually upgrade online board directory and policies/procedures manual

Strategic Initiatives and Tactics A Two-Year Plan ... · Donors - # for each INVOLVE Alumni...

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