Community fundraising in the fundraising mix

A friend of a friend recently (and successfully) applied for a new community fundraising job at a prestigious university and asked me to help her develop her application. It made me think about how community fundraising can be a successful component of the fundraising mix and how it is a bedrock of the fundraising pyramid. 

In my personal experience and in what I have seen elsewhere I think that there are three main aspects to successful community fundraising:

Firstly, you must ensure community fundraising is integrated into the overall fundraising mix and valued by colleagues (both fundraisers and beneficiary colleagues, i.e. academics). There is an historical tendency to view community fundraising as a bit of a poor relation as the individual gifts tend to be at the lower end of spectrum and the activities organised to raise them tend to be ‘softer’ and equally focused on the social aspects of fundraising. But this type of fundraising has many benefits:

• it engages donors on a very personal level
• it builds a strong base for the giving pyramids (little gifts often lead on to bigger gifts)
• it helps prospect researchers to identify new prospects and gather good market intelligence
• it strengthens the culture of philanthropy allowing opportunities not only for individuals to give but to get used to the practice of asking others to follow suit (peer to peer asking is very powerful)
• it creates opportunities for saying thank you
• it creates opportunities for the current student body to engage with the alumni – extending the alumni community
• not least – it draws in a steady and valuable income. 

To succeed as a community fundraiser, you must realise that you can’t do everything yourself and facilitation is the key to success. Clever volunteer management and support means that you will be able to deftly manage many more projects than you could do if you took personal ownership of every initiative.  You need to be able to create a supportive framework for volunteers which gives them the responsibility and freedom to take the initiative and balance this with gentle intervention and support when you are needed. This ‘framework’ is likely to be a basket of initiatives from written guidelines to a named network of ‘friendly faces’ across key University functions such as catering, security and parking to help volunteers to make their on-campus events successful. It might also include a modest ‘seedcorn’ fund to get initiatives off the ground. 

Good communication is always a fundamental foundation of any successful fundraising activity.  As the Community Fundraising Coordinator you will be the crossing point for information exchange between volunteers and also between volunteers and fundraisers. You need to be able to successful manage huge amount of information and make sure that everyone knows the things they need to know. You also need to develop a sixth sense and to be able to identify information that is significant to major gift fundraisers and other specialist fundraisers such as legacy officers and to have the diplomacy to facilitate appropriate introductions when necessary. The communication banner also covers the ability to say ‘thank you’ repeatedly and in ways that will be heard and valued by the donor. Someone giving £10 needs to know that they have been thanked and to have the same warm glow about their gift as someone who has given £10,000. Good communicators have the ability to translate the bigger themes of a University’s campaign to a form that is meaningful to the community donor. Community donors need to appreciate that the £50 they raised from running in the fun run not only represents an immediate benefit to the sufferers of motor neurone disease but it is part of the bigger picture of the University’s overall battle to overcome MND – if a donor can see the ripple affect of their gift and its importance in the overall fundraising mix then they are more likely to be inspired to make bigger donations and continue their support. 

Don’t forget that in most universities ‘community’ extends to an extensive network of overseas alumni and friends – be innovative about how they might be included in community fundraising. The online community is also a valuable asset but it must be nurtured and focused if its true benefits are to be realised. 

 

A view from Canada on the importance of philanthropy to higher education

The McGill Daily » How McGill uses philanthropy to stay on top.

This article gives an interesting overview of the importance of philanthropic income to the success of universities in countries where fundraising efforts are relatively mature when compared to the efforts of UK universities.

For McGill University, philanthropy contributes around 10 – 15 % to the University’s overall income with around 75 % of this income stream coming from individuals who are predominantly alumni. McGill have been soliciting donations from alumni since 1948 and around 25% of their alumni are donors to the Annual Fund. Comparative statistics like this always offer an interesting insight into how successful your own fundraising might be. They can be used a number of ways:

• To demonstrate to internal and external sceptics that fundraising does work.
• To help strategists to get a better understanding of the potential yield from their prospect pool.
• To inform your own planning.
• To measure your progress (especially if you compare your organisation with another of equal statue).

It could be a useful exercise to identify 2 – 3 comparative universities – perhaps one in the USA of a similar size and reputation, one in the UK with a similar profile and one which represents where you would like your organisation to be in five years time. At some point in your planning cycle it would be useful to compare your own profile against these three to help you understand how far you have come, to set strategic goals and to understand how much more you need to do to achieve those goals.

 

 

Interactive map: The billionaires of the world | CanadianBusiness.com

Looking for a billionaire to boost your 2012 campaign? You might find this interactive resource a good starting point especially if you want to cast your net globally. Interactive map: The billionaires of the world | CanadianBusiness.com.

A bit of fun for a dull day

It is a dull, damp and chilly November day in Berlin and I thought it would be fun to gather together a couple of examples of where, with a little imagination, fundraisers have injected some fun into their jobs. All too often fundraising for university research and projects can be a little worthy and dull. It is difficult to give subjects like cancer research, the relief of world poverty and the global energy crisis any kind of light relief but sometimes making people smile and feel good about what they are doing can really help to motivate support. Just make sure that such initiatives are tasteful, understandable and genuine funny ‘ha ha’ rather than funny ‘weird’. Some of the examples I have gathered come from the charity sector who are better than higher education at letting their hair down once in a while:

To raise £1million for new facilities at its Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification, the University of Dundee has invited votes in an online fundraising poll. Participants donate £1 to vote for a new name for the morgue and research facility. The name is taken from a shortlist of famous crime writers. You can read more and vote at www.millionforamorgue.com – where author Tess Gerritson has just overtaken Val McDermid. It has yet to be seen whether this campaign will reach its fundraising target but it has captured the imagination of the global media. It also allows Dundee to tap into, not only its own fan base (the alumni) but also the fan bases of the nominated authors.

Chilly upper lips are a thing of the past for donors who are inspired by the quirky Movember campaign. This global campaign is raising millions to support research into male cancers such as prostrate cancer. Every November, participants pledge to grow a moustache for the month of November and seek sponsorship from their friends, family and colleagues.  A great campaign for two reasons – participants not only raise millions but their new facial hair becomes a talking point and a great way to raise awareness of male cancers around the world and break down taboos. The campaign has over 1.1million participants worldwide and you can find out more at www.Movember.com

It can be difficult to maintain donor momentum following a big appeal associated with a specific tragic event such as the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand. A bit of imagination can really help. ‘Aftersocks’ are the brain child of the Rural Women of New Zealand organisation. With the help of a sock manufacturer they have produced red and black stripy socks emblazoned with an earthquake shake line. The funky socks are sold to raise funds to support the victims of the earthquake and get Christchurch back on its feet. It is a nice example of the third sector working with business to do something that benefits everyone. Find out more at www.aftersocks.co.nz

Article on Growing Philanthropy in the USA

PRESS RELEASE
Nov. 2, 2011, 8:40 a.m. EDT
New Report Released on Growing Philanthropy in the United States
Leaders define initiatives for increasing Americans’ individual charitable giving

CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov 02, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Blackbaud, Inc. BLKB +4.61% today announced the release of Growing Philanthropy in the United States, a report featuring recommendations defined to increase charitable giving to nonprofit organizations. Co-authored by Adrian Sargeant and Jen Shang of Indiana University, the report is presented by Indiana University, Blackbaud, Hartsook Companies, and Hartsook Institutes for Fundraising and is based on research from the Growing Philanthropy Summit.

– Download the Growing Philanthropy recommendations at http://www.blackbaud.com/growingphilanthropy .

“Despite an increasing effort on the part of nonprofits, individuals today give no more than their predecessors did over four decades ago,” said Adrian Sargeant, co-author of the report and Hartsook Professor of Fundraising, Indiana University. “Forty years of increasingly sophisticated fundraising practice, the development of planned giving vehicles, the appearance of the Internet, and the rise of new digital channels have done nothing to move the needle on giving. Yet, while giving has remained static, demands on the sector have not.” According to Giving USA, in the United States, charitable giving is estimated to be around two percent of average household disposable income.

To address this issue, 35 leading U.S.-philanthropy experts, including nonprofit leaders, technology suppliers, consultants, and executives from foundations and associations, gathered at the recent Growing Philanthropy Summit to build initiatives for increasing giving.

The resulting report contains 32 recommendations focused on enhancing the quality of donor relationships; developing public trust and confidence in nonprofits; identifying audiences, channels, and forms of giving with a strong potential for growth; and enhancing the quality of fundraising training and development.

Key recommendations include:

– Shifting the focus in fundraising practice away from technique toward the encouragement of individual philanthropy

– Redesigning the structure of fundraising education, particularly for more senior practitioners

– The creation of a research institute that would focus solely on fundraising research and adding value for donors

– The development of a public educational initiative that would dispel common myths about the way the sector operates and thus enhance the public trust

“We live in volatile times – times that few of us have seen in our lifetimes,” said Andrew Watt, president and CEO, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Growing Philanthropy participant. “Governments are pulling back from social investment and we, the philanthropic community, have no choice but to fill that gap. Coming together, creating a bond between diverse groups and individuals to bring focus and action in this area is critical to our success in a global environment.”

Recommendations are offered for individual nonprofits, sector umbrella and professional bodies, but also critically, for the large foundations with an interest in growing philanthropy. The authors map out the ideas that with the proper investment could make the biggest difference to philanthropy in this country.

Individuals, associations or foundations interested in participating in furthering these recommendations can sign up to get involved and download the full report by visiting http://www.blackbaud.com/growingphilanthropy .

About Blackbaud

Serving the nonprofit and education sectors for 30 years, Blackbaud BLKB +4.61% combines technology and expertise to help organizations achieve their missions. Blackbaud works with more than 25,000 customers in over 60 countries that support higher education, healthcare, human services, arts and culture, faith, the environment, independent K-12 education, animal welfare, and other charitable causes. The company offers a full spectrum of cloud-based and on-premise software solutions and related services for organizations of all sizes including: fundraising, eMarketing, social media, advocacy, constituent relationship management (CRM), analytics, financial management, and vertical-specific solutions. Using Blackbaud technology, these organizations raise more than $100 billion each year. Recognized as a top company by Forbes, InformationWeek, and Software Magazine and honored by Best Places to Work, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina and has employees throughout the US, and in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit http://www.blackbaud.com .

Forward-looking Statements

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks related to our dividend policy and share repurchase program, including potential limitations on our ability to grow and the possibility that we might discontinue payment of dividends; risks relating to restrictions imposed by the credit facility; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud’s investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

SOURCE: Blackbaud, Inc.

How to get a foot in the door

We have all been in the situation where after some diligent research we have discovered a Grant Making Trust (GMT) whose values and aspirations aline perfectly with our cause. We sharpen our pencils and get ready to pen the perfect application and then we read “We are not accepting unsolicited applications at this time.” Sooo frustrating, but all is not lost. You might still be able to get a foot in the door and here are some tactics to try.

Firstly, to reassure anyone who thinks that ignoring this statement about unsolicited applications is a faux pas, here is the relevant extract from the Institute of Fundraising’s ‘Fundraising from Grant Making Trusts Code of Fundraising Practice’:

When trusts say that they will not support unsolicited applications, such guidelines SHOULD generally be followed unless there are special reasons otherwise. 

If it is felt that there is an excellent match with trust’s policies and objectives, then, following further research, exploratory telephone calls or letters may be appropriate. 

Here are my tips:

1. Ask the people who know – this may seem like a long shot but people are amazingly helpful especially the lovely people who work in philanthropy-related jobs. Get in touch with someone the trust already funds and ask them how they got an introduction and whether they might consider introducing your own organisation. This works best, if you are not in a competing line of work. For example, Trust A states they fund animals, education and conservation. You are a university looking for funding for a PhD programme in conservation so you phone your local animal sanctuary (who are operating in a different sphere) who you know have already been funded by Trust A to pick their brains and ask for their help in getting an introduction.  Better still perhaps there might be scope to do a joint bid (see point 2) and ensure that any resulting funded PhDs do some kind of placement/project with the animal sanctuary who are already so dear to Trust A’s heart.
2. The joint submission approach – look at who the Trust have already funded. Is there any potential to partner with these beneficiaries to achieve your objectives. You could do a joint submission and get your toe in the door that way and your objectives achieved.
3. People power – find out all you can about the decision makers in your target trust, who is on the board, who is the administrator, solicitor or accountant and then cross reference this with your own board members, existing donors, friends, colleagues and alumni. The theory of six degrees of separation (Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth) is popular as it is so often proved right. If you can get a personal introduction through a pre-existing relationship then brilliant. It helps if you have a good database and researcher to support you.
4. Pick up the phone – this is a little cheeky and must be done with a huge amount of politeness and respect. Firstly, make sure you know everything about the trust in question and how it aligns with what you want to do. You never know what questions you might be asked and where a conversation might lead. Then call the trust and ask two things: for confirmation that the ‘unsolicited’ statement is still the current policy and secondly is there anything you can do to become a preferred beneficiary. I mention the first as I have heard anecdotally of ‘no unsolicited applications’ being used as the default in some reference databases when they haven’t got up to date information about a trust’s real preferences – I don’t know if this is true but it can’t hurt to ask.
5. Pen to Paper – chances are that if your cause aligns with the trust’s objectives that you will have read about or seen the results of their funding other beneficiaries. Write and congratulate them on their good work to date, subtly draw comparisons with work you have been doing on a similar vein, acknowledge their current ‘no unsolicited appeals policy’ and gently request that should their ability to broaden their funding portfolio change in the future you would welcome the opportunity of working with them. Be respectful, brief and informative.

At the end of the day none of these tactics may work but remember to flag your trust up for a regular review every few months as circumstances change and one day you might find the door slightly ajar.

Celebrity Chancellors

Brian May, Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores and guitarist with Queen

The Daily Telegraph lists the top ten celebrity Chancellors on its website to which you might also add Sir Michael Parkinson at Nottingham Trent University, Zandra Rhodes at the University of the Creative Arts and Sir Chris Bonington at the University of Lancaster. But what do Chancellors do and how might they help in your fundraising efforts? A Chancellor is the Chief Ambassador of a University they help to promote their university in their private and public networks – winning friends, influencing opinion and smoothing the way for deals to be done and partnerships to be established. They are also a ceremonial figurehead presiding over occasions such as graduations and major events.

An article in The Times Higher Education Supplement written as far back as 2005, confidently predicted that Chancellors would no longer be just figureheads but rather active participants in University life and particularly in fundraising. Has this come to pass?

A quick (but unscientific) google reveals that Durham, Glasgow, Nottingham Trent and Northampton all have appeals associated with their Chancellors. However, it is interesting note that many of the ‘hits’ returned referred to Vice-Chancellor-led appeals. This seems to indicate that involvement in fundraising has yet to effectively penetrate the highest levels of University leadership.

Fundraising campaigns need leadership at the highest level in a institution. Universities need to be careful about who they recruit to be their figurative leaders and should ensure that they reap the maximum benefit from their involvement. One note of caution though – don’t assume that the alumni will know who the Chancellor is or how important she/he are, chances are they only met the Chancellor once during their student days on the day they picked up their degree certificate. If you have a celebrity Chancellor then the job of explaining who they are has to some extent been done for you (though overseas alumni might not understand the significance of UK based celebs), if not, they make sure you communication with your alumni or when your Chancellor makes an ask, the response might be ‘Who are you again?’

On the day of the AGM

Following on from my previous post about AGMs, here are some hints and tips about how to make the AGM ‘an event’ not a chore.

1. Make sure you have the right venue. don’t just plump for some out of the way meeting room but try and find somewhere unusual, perhaps somewhere that is normally unaccessible to the general public – it will help entice people to attend. Cover the basics – is the room big enough, have the right equipment, the right seating, is it accessible, near parking, light and airy, near to the catering location, near good (clean) toilets, easy to find and a pleasant place to be.
2. Make sure your attendees can find you – have good signs, a welcome board and better still a bevy of smiling, welcoming student volunteers to act as ‘hosts’.
3. Make sure that your main host(s), which is likely to the Alumni Association President and/or the Vice-Chancellor is early enough to welcome the attendees personally, well briefed on who might be coming and knows what is expected of them..
4. Make sure there are plenty of copies of the official paperwork around and perhaps have a blown up version of the agenda on a handy flip board. Remember as with many alumni events, some delegates might be older and appreciate a larger font size
5. Keep to the schedule – don’t let the timings slide as people will switch off and start looking out of the window. It helps to a strong neutral chairperson who can keep the proceedings bowling along.
6. Minimise the boring stuff and maximise the interesting stuff – no one wants to hear huge amounts of detail about the financial transactions of the year but they might want to hear a gripping tale about how a research breakthrough is helping in the fight against cancer.
7. Keep the balance between the formal and the lighthearted. This is an official meeting but that doesn’t mean it has to be dry and stuffy. Think of it in terms of providing an ‘entertainment’ and make things interesting. You can chuck in a few fascinating headlines facts about alumni numbers and demographics or some nice quotes from happy alumni or current students. Make the presentations personal, as people relate to people.
8. Use images – people like to see pictures of what is being presented – make full use of Powerpoint and keep the slides bright, engaging and relevant. (make sure everyone in the room can see the slides and hear the speakers regardless of where they may be sitting.)
9. Attendees have come, not just to listen but to engage with the institution so give them plenty of opportunity for Q & A at the end of the presentations. Make sure the Q & A is time limited and properly chaired or the schedule will slip. It might be worth giving people who can’t attend the opportunity to submit written questions.
10. Consider an internet broadcast of the whole event  but be careful of privacy issues and make sure your audience knows that their comments are being broadcast.
11. If you do decide to do an Internet broadcast, don’t treat the online participants as poor relations but make sure they feel welcome and included at the event.
12. Consider a live Twitter feed if you have an active Twitter account.
13. Drum up some attendance from current staff/students. The alumni like to mingle with people who are currently at the university.
14. Consider some ‘giveaways’ on the chairs – copies of the Annual Report and perhaps some other goodies if you can do it cost effectively.
15. Think about the catering – afternoon tea is always a good option as people see it as a treat and something to look forward to. Try and make it special – perhaps ‘invent’ a new cake or sandwich – it will give the alumni something to make small talk about in the aftermath of the presentations. There is no need to serve alcohol unless you have a’champagne’ moment to celebrate.
16. If you have a known ‘trouble maker’ coming along (and I have known this to happen), try to subtlety assign them a ‘babysitter’ who might help to tone them down if things get a little heated.
17. Make sure you use the event to celebrate achievements not just of the institution but of the alumni themselves.
18. Try to maintain a forward looking perspective. Attendees want to feel like they are part of something that not only respects and honours the past but is a forward thinking, progressive movement with an eye on the future.
19. After the event, mingle and make sure you encourage the other ‘hosts’ to mingle rather than make a dash for the bar.
20. Thank everyone for coming, they have made an effort.
21. Make sure you keep a record of attendance so you can update everyone’s records with their attendance and thank them for coming next time you see them. I think that making the effort to attend an AGM is a sign of strong commitment that should not be ignored.

Once the AGM is over, the chairs have been stacked away and everyone has got home safely, WRITE THE MINUTES – otherwise you will forget what was said. Minutes should be concise, informative and a tiny bit entertaining. They should also be circulated promptly. Make a note of any actions and make sure they are completed in good time and not the week before the next AGM as is so often the case!

Bursary donors may be more wary after reading this article

The following article that appears on today’s BBC website may plant a seed a doubt in the minds of donors who support bursaries for poorer students. It points to a need for universities to adopt a strong, concerted and transparent approach to the development of effectively targeted bursary schemes. The universities who can demonstrate, with evidence, that their schemes really do benefit disadvantaged students will stand a much better chance of winning the support of sceptical donors. It is important that fundraisers have a good understanding of how their organisation’s bursary programme works and that they can readily produce evidence that the deserving students benefit. The message to donors must be strong and clear – their donation is making a real and tangible difference not only to the life of an individual but to the enrichment of the organisation as a whole through the diversification of its constituents.

FROM BBC News

University bursaries ‘not attracting poorer students’

By Sean CoughlanBBC News education correspondent

The bigger bursaries offered by wealthier universities do not necessarily attract more poorer students, says a lecturers’ union.

The University and College Union has analysed bursary figures for 2009-10 from the Office for Fair Access (Offa).

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt says it is “oversimplistic” to expect bigger bursaries to translate to poorer students entering elite universities.

The report shows universities spent £395m on bursaries and outreach work.

But the lecturers’ union says that students from poorer backgrounds are still likely to be clustered in the non-elite universities, even though the bursaries are bigger at the more prestigious universities.

Missing targets

“The universities with the best records of recruiting students from the poorest backgrounds have higher dropout rates and cannot offer bursaries to match the elite institutions,” said Ms Hunt.

“We need to provide better support for students from poorer backgrounds wherever they study.”

The Offa figures show the amount spent by higher education institutions in England on bursaries, scholarships and other efforts to widen access, during the year 2009-10 – before the changes to the fee system which will be introduced next year.

It shows that when students were paying £3,225 per year, universities were spending about 23% of their higher fee income on access schemes, providing support for 271,000 students from low-income families.

The average bursary for a student from the “very poorest” background was £935 per year.

There were also 23 universities and 21 further education colleges which failed to reach their target levels for recruiting students from low-income families.

But the UCU lecturers’ union suggests that there is no clear relationship between offering more generous bursaries and attracting more students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

As an example, it shows that bursaries are substantially bigger at a university such as Cambridge than somewhere such as the University of Northumbria – but Northumbria’s proportion of poorer students is four times higher than at Cambridge.

‘Heavy lifting’

Les Ebdon, chair of the Million+ group which represents new universities, says the report shows “the great majority of poorer students in receipt of state support study at modern universities”.

He said: “It is modern universities that are doing the ‘heavy lifting’ in terms of social mobility.”

Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, also challenged the “haphazard” bursary system, which he said meant that the universities “recruiting those from non-traditional backgrounds have the least money available to spend per student”.

But the Russell Group of prestigious universities defended their record of offering the most generous levels of financial support.

“Not only are our bursaries bigger, but our universities spend more in total than others,” said the group’s director general, Wendy Piatt.

“With one in eight universities, we provide nearly a quarter of all spending on bursaries and scholarships. About one in three Russell Group students receive a bursary or scholarship.”

But Dr Piatt highlighted: “A-level results in the right subjects are more important than money in deciding whether a student will go to a Russell Group university.

“Misinformation, lack of confidence and misunderstandings about the costs and benefits of university education contribute to the under-representation of students from lower-income backgrounds.”

Offa’s director, Sir Martin Harris, said: “Expenditure on access measures remains steady, demonstrating universities’ continued commitment to seeking to ensure that all those with the potential and aspiration to go to university are able to do so, regardless of their background.”

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: “Social mobility in this country has stalled. While universities have met their financial commitments to students, we need to see real progress in fair access, especially at our most selective institutions.

“That is why our funding reforms ensure that from next year universities will redouble their efforts to recruit students from disadvantaged backgrounds. By 2015 universities will be investing more than £600m to widen access, with an annual review of the progress being achieved.”

Autumn is the season of the dreaded Annual General Meeting

This is the first of a couple of posts about how to transform your Annual General Meeting with a little bit of thought and energy….

The very title Annual General Meeting makes you want to yawn. It does not sound interesting, lively or something that anyone would willingly go to. But why have AGMs developed such a terrible reputation for dullness when they could be a highlight of the development and alumni year and what can be done to make them more enticing?

AGMs are a necessary evil. Most Alumni Associations and charitable foundations have a legal obligation to hold an AGM. The trick to success is to see the AGM as an opportunity rather than a chore. Before you even start on the detail the first challenge is to set the date – tandem the AGM with another, more enticing event on campus to help you boost attendance or tie it in with a date that will encourage nostalgia e.g. the start of term – use these tie-ins to help you with your marketing e.g. ‘You too can come back to the University this Autumn for the start of a new academic year. October 2nd is the date when you can return to campus and support your Alumni Association in providing a better future for its members.’

Get the basics right – all AGMs have to follow a certain pattern, agendas need to be issued, formalities such as elections of officers observed and accurate minutes taken. Firstly, make sure what you are doing complies with the organisation’s Constitution or you will irritate the minority of sticklers who like to see these things done properly. Just get organised, make check lists of what you must do and when and keep on top of things. The basics needn’t be too boring – you can wrap an interesting invitation around the agenda, inject a little drama or ceremony into the voting procedures by introducing a secret ballot or a little personal touch – I know of one organisation that uses a cricket helmet as the receptacle for the votes, bizarre though this may seem, it is an iconic item for them and adds a little bit of personality to the proceedings. The agenda should read as invitation not a dry announcement. I have collected a couple of real examples from the web (made anonymous) to show you how not to do it and how to do it better. I have made some notes in red and blue to show you what works and what doesn’t:

How not to do it: 

“The Annual General Meeting of the Alumni Association will be held on Monday 16 May 2011 at 7.00pm in the room HXXX at the XXXXXX campus.  Light refreshments will be served from 6.45pm. This is a very bald statement rather than a welcoming invitation. Personally I think that invitations should be from named people and not anonymous. Also – who is being invited; it doesn’t say. I have a pet hate of the term ‘light refreshments’ as it sounds so vague. People need to be enticed so be more explicit and make it sound attractive (Marks and Spencers always treat their shareholders to a slap up lunch and have a turn out every year) – the University’s Head Chef will be delighted to share with you afternoon tea and selection of freshly made cakes and sandwiches. 

I would be grateful if you could inform the Alumni Relations Office if you will be attending by Thursday 5 May 2011 on <non-international number> you should always have an international number format or you will exclude vast numbers of people or by email to <anonymous emailI think you need a personal email and personal point of contact so callers/emailers have someone they can ask for – it all helps build a personal relationship with your stakeholders>.

AGENDA

1.    Apologies

To receive apologies for absence. Start on a positive rather than a negative – start with a welcome.

2.    Minutes

To receive the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 10 May 2010. (attached). Starting every sentence with To receive is very passive and implies that the attendees have no right of reply or chance to engage – perhaps rephrase to read ‘to consider and approve’.

3.    President’s Report

To receive a verbal report from the President on activities in the last year. Who is the President, do he/she have a name and perhaps a couple of lines of background? It is also a chance to flag up some bulleted highlights of the year to give people who might read the agenda but not be able to attend just a small flavour of what will be presented. You should also give attendees the opportunity for some Q & A

4.    Executive Committee

To elect, in accordance with the rules, two new members to serve on the Executive Committee. How about starting with a vote of thanks for those who have already given their time. It might also be useful to list the positions on the Executive Committee that are under consideration and have a couple of lines about what they do. 

<Name of speaker>, Sports Development and Services, will say a few words about sport at the University in advance of the formal business of the meeting.” This last sentence totally undersells what might be a very interesting talk. Nor does it give the time you should arrive if you want to hear this speaker. 

Better, but not perfect:

Annual General Meeting of Convocation

The Vice-Chancellor, <VC’s name> nice to have a personal information from the boss, has pleasure the choice of words implies it will be a pleasurable rather than torturous experience to attend in inviting all <institution’s name> graduates says who can come to campus to hear how the University is moving forward academically and to learn of its achievements and vision for the future says at least a little bit about what they will hear on Tuesday 12 April 2011.

<Speaker’s name>, Deputy Executive Dean for the School of Life & Health Sciences, will also give an engaging implies again that something of interest is being presented presentation on his recent research, entitled <title of research(lighthearted title used) using a light hearted title for academic talks tells the invitee that they stand a chance of understanding it even if it isn’t in their subject area>, and you will hear from current student <Student Speaker’s Name> lovely touch having a current student present – reminds attendees of their youth! on Student Entrepreneurship.

Programme

5.00pm: Registration and afternoon tea bit more explicit about what is being served in the XXX Lounge, XXX

6.00pm: Annual General Meeting of Convocation in the XX XX Lecture Theatre, ABS

8.00pm: Depart Finish time is always helpful

Papers for the meeting (download).People can access their own papers online so that even non-attendees can read them.

To book your place at this campus event, please register online now or email <email address personal point of contact > or call <international phone number internationally sensitive >.

Please RSVP by Tuesday 5 April 2011.

Other things you might do:

• Beef up the content – add detail about the people who will host it or being speaking at it and a little more about what they will be saying.
• Make it personal – it should be a personal invitation from a person (people) to a person (people).
• Have some images – people like to be able to picture where they will be.
• Use positive language, vocabulary like: engaging, achievements, share, pride, future, interesting, fascinating and thank you.
• Make sure you thank people who are contributing to the AGM – people who came, people who held office etc.
• If you are using ‘University jargon’ then make sure you provide an explanation and don’t assume that just because someone was a student at your university they will know what Convocation is or who the Executive Leadership are – there is a fine line between giving information and being patronising here so tread carefully.
• Say how non-attendees can access the information that will be presented at the AGM
• Mention if there are any other things going on campus that day in case they want to ‘make a day of it’.
• Have current students involved – alumni like meeting current students. Perhaps you could rope in your student callers from the telephone campaign
• Think about how to engage overseas alumni – can you podcast the AGM or create a video link – if so, promote this in the invitation and make sure that you have a register of online attendees and that their presence is recognised by your Constitution so they are not disenfranchised.

The next post will be about adding a little spice to the actual event. If you have an AGM coming up – good luck with it.