Potential Donor Management Procedures

Parent Policy

Potential Donor Management Policy

Potential donor management is the coordinated assignment of potential donors to appropriate fundraising staff generally known as Philanthropic Relations Managers who act as the primary contact person from the University responsible for advancing development initiatives with potential major gift donors.  

This process is most commonly in use for major gift potential donors, but the Potential Donor Management Policy recognises that there are donors who respond to the Annual Appeal or intend to make bequests to the University who are not currently major donors but may eventually make a major gift to the University.  

The potential donor management process considers the impact of assignment decisions in relation to donors who fall into these categories who may be interacting and corresponding with fundraising staff who are not Philanthropic Relations Managers.  

Fundraising staff and Philanthropic Relations Managers maintain an active portfolio of potential major gift donors with up-to-date readiness stages. Deans, divisional directors, and staff soliciting gifts on behalf of the University work with designated Philanthropic Relations Managers. 

The Donor Activity Analyst is responsible for managing the potential major gift donor assignment process on behalf of the Vice-President (Advancement).  Where there are disagreements about assignment of potential donors, the Vice-President (Advancement) is the final arbiter.  In cases where a strategy meeting has been held, the Fundraising staff and Philanthropic Relations Managers must adhere to the directions established in the approved campaign strategy.

Responsibility:
Vice-President (Advancement)
Philanthropic Relations Managers
Donor Activity Analyst
All Fundraising Staff soliciting gifts

1.Management of Potential Donors

1.1  Potential Donor Assignment to Philanthropic Relations Managers

Assignment of potential donors is requested through the University's fundraising database.  All assignment requests will be submitted for a specific faculty, campus or institute and are tracked and monitored.  The campaign team meets regularly to assign potential donors to an appropriate Philanthropic Relations Manager.

1.2  Factors Determining Assignment Decisions

The goal of the potential donor management process is to match potential donors  with approved campaign priorities that have a reasonable probability of success in major gift solicitation.

      The following factors will be considered:

     Individuals

• Affiliation with a particular faculty and/or legacy institution and/or program, project, department or school
• Previous giving history to the associated Foundation/faculty or legacy institution and/or program, project, department or division
• Donor potential
• Volunteer activity/connections
• Personal interests/relationships
• Purpose and priority of the project

   Corporations and Foundations

• Similarity between campaign priority and the potential major gift's interests
• Giving criteria and guidelines
• Ties between potential donors and the program/project/constituency
• Donor history

 1.3    Multiple Affiliations

It is common for potential donors with significant capacity to donate to have multiple affiliations and interests across the University and its associated Foundations.  All staff involved in fundraising are expected to work together to ensure that any potential donor's wishes are being followed and that the University's approach is coordinated. Potential donors with multiple affiliations and interests across the University must be documented and noted in the University's fundraising database. 

1.4 Objecting to an Assignment  

 Any Philanthropic Relationship Management staff may object to other colleagues  requesting assignment for a potential donor by clearly stating their objection and rationale.  This does not mean that the party seeking assignment cannot submit their assignment request.   Final decisions on assignment are made by the Vice-President (Advancement).

 1.5  Assignment Requests and Feedback    

It is incumbent on all staff to respond to assignment requests in a timely and thorough manner. At the same time, when seeking assignment, adequate time must be allowed for a colleague to provide a response.

Responsibility

Vice-President (Advancement)
Philanthropic Relationship Managers
Staff involved in fundraising

2. Stages of the Donor Management Cycle

2.1 Identification: Where a constituent such as an individual, corporation, foundation or association is identified as a potential donor, assignment should be requested.

           Identification activities include:

• Potential major gift review with staff, volunteers, peers;
• Requesting assignment

2.2 Qualification

Where the Philanthropic Relations Manager explores and verifies the potential donor's interest and ability to give.  A qualification visit should occur within three months of assignment of a potential donor to a Philanthropic Relations Manager to determine a strategy for moving forward.  After three months, assignments with no actions which specifically indicate that the potential donor has been qualified will be bought back to a regular fundraising campaign meeting for review.

2.3 Cultivation

All efforts to enhance a potential donor's interest or involvement with the University.

 Cultivation activities include:

• Phone calls, correspondence or visits with a potential donor;
• Focused invitation to specialised events;
• Visits from philanthropic relations management staff, deans or volunteers;
• Preparation of research profiles, when necessary.

Philanthropic Relations Managers develop a cultivation and solicitation strategy which is used to determine who participates in the relationship with the potential donor and a plan for engagement with them.

2.4 Ready to Ask

Where the potential donor is considered to have enough knowledge and interest with a relevant faculty or the University as a whole, and contact is made to develop solicitation strategies..

 2.5 Solicitation

The request for financial support and the process of presenting a specific proposal for financial support. 

 Solicitation activities include:

• Proposal preparation

• The solicitation call

2.6 Stewardship

 Ongoing contact following the successful solicitation of a potential donor for a major gift.  These initiatives ensure that contact is maintained when the donor is not actively being cultivated for an additional gift.

Stewardship activities include:

• Acknowledgement and recognition
• Periodic reporting on the use of the gift;
• Periodic evaluation for another cultivation;
• Preparation of a written stewardship plan.

Responsibility

Philanthropic Relations Managers

3. Highest Level Potential Major Gifts

A small group of donors will make truly outstanding gifts to the University's fundraising efforts.  To nurture these relationships effectively, it is appropriate to identify them, flag them as such and devote significant attention to them.  These potential major gift donors will be coordinated and managed by the Vice-President (Advancement). Where there is a strong and undisputed tie to a particular faculty, campus or institute, a particular Philanthropic Relations Manager will work closely with the Vice-President (Advancement) to manage the relationship. Generally, these potential major donors are identified as those who have the potential to make a gift of AUD$1 million or more.

Responsibility

Vice-President (Advancement)
Philanthropic Relations Managers

4. The Raiser’s Edge Database

The processes for managing all stages of the donor management cycle for potential and major donors are coordinated through the University's fundraising database, the Raiser's Edge, and are documented in the Raiser's Edge training materials which are provided to fundraising staff who have undertaken the Raiser's Edge Prospect Module training.

Responsibility

Staff maintaining the Raiser’s Edge database
All staff involved in fundraising

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