Indiana University of Pennsylvania

BACKGROUND

Indiana University of Pennsylvania began partnering with Changing Our World to help ensure the public-phase success of its record-breaking Imagine Unlimited campaign, with an eye toward laying the groundwork for its next comprehensive fundraising campaign.  Thanks in part to several extraordinary leadership gifts, the Imagine Unlimited campaign goal had already been increased from $40 million to $75 million. University leadership knew that the engagement of a broader donor base would be essential, both for this campaign and for the next.

CHALLENGE

At a time of individual giving leadership transition, Changing Our World immediately began working one-on-one with IUP’s frontline fundraisers to drive prospect strategy development, assess and refine prospect portfolios, and analyze the proposal pipeline.  Analysis of historical fundraising trends, combined with consultation of advancement program leadership, led to the design of new gift officer metrics to offer a more holistic picture of team performance.  Changing Our World partnered closely with Advancement Services during the adoption of a new CRM to document moves management processes and ensure the sustainability of tracking new performance metrics.

In parallel, Changing Our World provided counsel to the Vice President of University Advancement in the restructuring of the individual giving function of her division.  The new structure better aligned fundraising opportunities with staff strengths and ensured that a leaner division could continue its positive individual giving gains while continuing to serve administration, deans and department heads.  Changing Our World facilitated multiple retreats and training sessions, helping staff manage the change process and partnering with the Vice President to ensure fundamentals were in place for continued fundraising success.

SOLUTION

University Advancement leadership continues to innovate in a challenging environment to maximize the impact of division resources.  As a result, the Imagine Unlimited campaign, which was at 75% of goal at the time of partnership, is positioned to exceed its $75 million goal ahead of schedule this fall.  Planning is underway for IUP’s next campaign.