September 2020 - The Pulse
A Team That’s Changing Lives
I can feel the momentum coming out of our recent division meeting, and I am excited to see our team clearing hurdles and surging forward to create a meaningful future for ourselves, our students and our university.
This issue is full of inspiring stories of our team collaborating, connecting the dots and innovating new ways to make connections and create positive change. With the SIC ’EM values that drive our process, we won’t be stopped.
It fills me with pride, yes—but most of all, it fills me with gratitude. Thank you for being the hard-working, spirited and amazing team that you are. UGA's #15 Top Public University ranking proves that our hard work (and that of many others) is paying off!
SIC ‘EM,
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the UGA Foundation
Learn from Experts Down the Hall
Continue sending your DAR site blog posts to any DARCOMM communications team member!
Introducing the all-new learning series: Collaboration Station
Kudos to Constituent Programs for this initiative to equip fundraisers and support staff with updates on what is going on in schools, colleges, and units. Twice a month, colleagues around campus will present 90-second “commercials,” share fundraising priorities and discuss opportunities for collaboration. The School of Public and International Affairs kicked-off the series. In case you missed it, watch here (passcode: S#qq6&9!). And here’s a link to see the College of Engineering’s presentation (passcode: 7U@Yx8Tt).
Coming Up with Collaboration Station…
Friday Mornings | 8:30-9:30 AM
Zoom Meeting ID: 979 2321 3764 | Passcode: 929938
- September 25 – College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- October 9 – Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
- October 23 – Terry College of Business
Registration is not required and the same Zoom Link is used for each meeting. Scheduling conflict? All sessions are recorded.
Special Meetings & Training Team members rolling off after 2 years of service
This team, a working group and sounding board for DAR, was responsible for the inaugural SIC’EM Awards in Spring 2019 and assisted in the execution/planning of Advance UGA in 2019 and 2020.
- Donor Relations & Stewardship, Shearron Hamlin
- DARCOMM, Danielle Bezila
- CFR, Matt Pruitt
- Parent Giving, Andrea Parris
- UGAF, Brandon Scott
- Prospect Mgmt, David Ornelas
- Advancement Svcs, Cindy Bond
- Special Events, Wendy Johnson
- Constituent Programs, Catherine Henry
- Alumni Relations, Olivia Browning
UGA Career Center rocks on Instagram
The UGA Career Center recently achieved 12K followers on Instagram and continues to maintain its status as the most-followed career center in the country. Follow along!
Senior Signature record
The Class of 2020 set a new record of 2,977 donors! The plaque will be installed in the next few weeks. The cost to participate in the Class of 2021 Senior Signature has been lowered to $30 to encourage even more students to participate.
Innovation Spotlight: Parent Giving Team
To encourage Parents Leadership Council members to attend virtual Fall PLC Night (Oct. 20), the Parent Giving team will send PLC families a special package containing a UGA picnic blanket, two PLC coozies, a reminder to attend Fall PLC Night, and a special Tour of Athens Bingo Challenge Card (a spin-off of Talent Management’s ‘Points of Pride Bingo Challenge’). The Bingo challenge will help PLC families to safely tour campus with their student this fall; stops include Herty Field, Condor Chocolates, a picnic on North Campus (using their new blanket!), and more. Families who complete a row, column, or diagonal on their Bingo card will be eligible for prizes. The Parent Giving team is looking forward to engaging parents in this new way!
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Jewish Holidays in September
Did you know the Jewish new year is called Rosh Hashanah and is September 18-20 this year? Another important day in Judaism is Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.
Learn More:
Vet Med AVMA Conference Virtual Reception – August 20
The College of Veterinary Medicine hosted a virtual reception in tandem with the AVMA Virtual Conference originally scheduled to be held in San Diego. Dean Lisa K. Nolan delivered an update on CVM to 22 alumni from across the U.S.
Division Meeting – August 24
If you didn’t come away from the August Division Meeting fired up, you must have missed it. Watch here.
UGA Career Center’s first virtual career fair – August 26
The UGA Virtual Part-Time Job & Internship Fair, hosted on Handshake’s new virtual career fair platform, connected UGA students with 80 employers seeking candidates for virtual and in-person (including on-campus) part-time work. There were 258 one-on-one sessions and 234 group session student participants.
Upcoming Development and Division Meetings
DAR 101
October 14 | 9-11 AM
Details to come
Development Meeting
October 26 | 10 AM
Register
Division Meeting
November 16 | 10 AM
Register
Mentor Skills Webinar – Communicating Effectively, presented by Dr. Erin Dolan
September 16 | Noon-1 PM
Registration
Florentine Films Panel Discussion hosted by UGA Libraries
September 16 | 7-8 PM
Facebook Live
Between the Pages virtual book club moderated by Deborah Roberts (ABJ ’82)
September 23 | 7 PM
Register Today
The September book for Between the Pages is An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (M ’98), which has landed on the reading lists of Oprah, Barack Obama and Bill Gates. Questions? Contact Sarah Sonenberg. Thanks to the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame for partnering on this event.
40 Under 40 Awards Program
September 25 | Noon
No registration required
This virtual event replaces the annual 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon. Honorees will receive a box of event supplies to watch the launch with up to eight guests, as well as a web key mailer USB loaded with the program to watch at a later date. The program will feature remarks by President Morehead, Meredith Johnson, past 40 Under 40 honorees, and 40 Student Alumni Council members who will announce the new 2020 honorees. Contact Lauren Cook with questions.
Virtual Exhibit Tour: Sign of the Times – hosted by UGA Libraries; Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies; and Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries
September 29 | 2-2:30 PM
Facebook Live
UGA Virtual Fall Career & Internship Fair
September 30 | 12-5 PM
Employer Registration | Student Registration
UGA Virtual Fall Engineering & Computer Science Career & Internship Fair
October 1 | 1-5 PM
Employer Registration | Student Registration
Online Native Plant Sale at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia
Enjoy plant-shopping among 175 Georgia native plant species chosen for their hardiness, beauty, and value to pollinators. All plants are grown at the State Botanical Garden, and all sales benefit the conservation program.
Preview: October 2 | 6 – 7 p.m. | $10
Your $10 ticket supports the garden's conservation efforts and provides you with an interactive evening with native plant experts.
Register for the Preview Event
Online Native Plant Sale: throughout October with pick-ups every Monday–Wednesday through the month. See details and a plant list in the weeks before the sale.
Parents Leadership Council Night
October 20 | 5:30-6:45 PM
President Morehead, Victor Wilson, Kelly Kerner, and others will speak about the importance of staying connected during this difficult season. Parents will hear updates from the university, learn about the impact they are making on campus and mingle with new and old friends alike in breakout rooms.
Your Response Needed: FY20 Financial Endowment Reports
Directors of Development and Stewies, please confirm your unit’s fund and donor listing or return your edits to the file shared with you to Teale Moran by September 16. Over 3,000 reports will be mailed this November with FY20 and Commit to Georgia statistics, a letter from the investment team, and a new pamphlet answering questions about endowment stewardship, spending, and investment.
SIC’Em Awards
It’s time to nominate a colleague that has amazed you during the past few months. Nominations close on September 28. Winners will be revealed during the Nov. 16 Division Meeting.
Witness history!
The Small Satellite Research Laboratory, a collaboration between Franklin College and the College of Engineering, will partner with NASA to launch its small satellite into space on Sept. 29 at 10:26 PM. Watch on NASA TV. Lauren Cook in Alumni Relations is plotting how to best engage alumni around this historic moment. Contact Lauren to learn more.
Football Season Alumni Engagement
The Alumni Relations team, in partnership with Annual Giving and DARCOMM, is planning virtual engagement activities in place of in-person game-watching parties. This includes at-home watch party kits, a Beat Week giving challenge against Auburn, the annual (but now virtual) Black Alumni Homecoming Tailgate, the return of Jerry Tanner, and more! Questions? Email Sarah Sonenberg. If you are planning a football-related event or program this fall, please let Sarah Sonenberg and Elizabeth Elmore know and DARCOMM will help promote.
Change in Central DAR Address
Please do not use “One Press Place” in the address. Instead, use: Office of Development (or Annual Giving, or Advancement Services, or UGAF, etc.) | The University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia 30602 Campus mail will ensure it gets to us. This change applies to email signatures and printed materials, too - stationary, envelopes, etc. The exception? If you are using an overnight carrier (UPS or FedEx), use: The University of Georgia | 1 Press Place | Athens, Georgia 30601 Questions? Contact Brooke Hicks.
Get your Flu Shot
A flu shot clinic will be open to all UGA staff in the downtown area at 1PP on September 23 and in the Business Services Breakroom on September 30, from 8:30-10:30 AM each day. Please bring your UGA ID and insurance information. For more dates, more info on campus flu shot clinics, or to make a flu shot appointment at the University Health Center, visit www.uhs.uga.edu
On the Road Again
Working with your dean or director to maximize your budget and reduce time traveling? Contact the Regional Programs and Engagement Officer teams to discuss partnering on virtual and in-person strategies for qualifying and cultivating prospects you may not be able to visit this year.
Parents Remove Barriers to Student Well-being
The UGA Parents Fund helps cover the cost of co-pays for students who cannot afford counseling and psychiatric services.
UGA Mentor Program Growing Stronger
The UGA Mentor Program has entered its second year with great momentum. More than 220 mentors joined the Alumni Kickoff in August—remarkable for a first-time virtual event. The program now boasts 2,486 alumni mentors; 2,136 student mentees, and 285 active mentoring relationships—a number sure to rise with the fall semester under way.
UGA Career Center Keeps Pace
From August 10 to September 1, the UGA Career Center completed 77 student drop-in appointments, 127 one-hour career counseling appointments, and engaged a total of 164 students during two virtual Arch Ready programs, Resumes and Cover Letters, and Achieve Your Full Potential. Despite pandemic challenges, students are still using career center services and programs.
Advancing the Scholarship and Praxis of Transformative Mentoring
With sponsorship from the Office of Faculty Affairs, Associate Director of the UGA Mentor Program Jeremy Daniel and CAES Associate Professor James C. Anderson, II will facilitate a faculty learning community rooted in motivational, transformational leadership and mentoring theories, with critical discourse around topics that address larger, campus-wide questions around cultivating an ecosystem of mentoring at UGA. Contact Jeremy for details.
FundRaiser On the Go Updates
We have updated Fundraiser on the Go (FROG), a simplified interface of GAIL that is compatible with desktop and mobile devices. You will need to follow these instructions for Cisco AnyConnect to use FROG on mobile devices.
Updates to Marketing Effort Templates
To minimize errors in your output files, we have changed the default “Address Processing and Name Format” options in mail and email marketing effort templates. Learn details and view screen shots.
Fall Direct Mail to Hit Mailboxes in Late September
This year’s fall mailing features a letter from Student Alumni Council President Autumn Pressley and includes messages from students from across campus. The student messages will be unique according to the recipient household’s degree affiliations. Contact Chatise Smith with questions.
Announcing the “Beat Auburn” Giving Challenge
We are partnering with Auburn to participate in a head-to-head giving challenge during the week leading up to the UGA/Auburn game on Oct. 3. We will compete based on the number of gifts made during the week to each institution, regardless of designation. The Student Alumni Council will encourage students to participate, too. More info to come.
Class of 2020 Commencement Survey
All May 2020 graduating students received a digital survey the first week of September to gauge their interest in an October Commencement. The survey was sent to @uga.edu email addresses by MARCOMM. Questions? Contact Lindsey Copus.
New Alumni Volunteers
The UGA Alumni Association welcomed three new board members and a slew of new affinity group council members. See who they are.
Donor Relations and Stewardship
September Stewardship
- PAWS Reception Replacement: The 2020 PAWS Reception was canceled. A special mailing will be sent to faculty, staff, and retiree campaign donors in September. Reach out to Jordan Dotson with questions.
- FY21 Presidents Club and Cumulative Giving Societies Welcome Packets: Welcome packets recognizing Presidents Club ($1,500+ annual giving) and Cumulative Giving Societies ($1 Million+ cumulative giving) will begin reaching our donors in September. Giving society welcome packets let donors know they reached special giving levels and explains how they will be recognized or engaged the upcoming year. Reach out to Jordan Dotson with questions.
- FY20 Endowed Faculty Reports: Thank you messages from 200 grateful chairs and professors will reach approximately 150 donors in September. This year, UGA Athletic Association board members will also receive this touch that illustrates the incredible impact of Athletic Association funded endowments. Reach out to Teale Moran with questions.
Stewardship Coming Later this Fall:
- Presidents Club Reception Replacement
- FY20 UGAF Trustee Giving Reports
- FY20 Spring/Summer Semester Gratitude Reports
- FY20 Financial Endowment Reports
We are always tracking changes relevant to charitable giving. Recently the AFR rate hit a new historic low, making Charitable Lead Trusts an attractive option for high capacity donors. See an email sent last week to a small group of high capacity donors. Questions? Reach out to Clint Travis.
Preferred Language: “Student Well-being”
Please use "student well-being" in proposals and write-ups that would have previously mentioned student health, mental health, wellness, etc. Discussions about student health can get pigeon-holed into focusing on clinical services and crisis support, and can under-communicate the resources UGA offers to support students' holistic well-being. UGA has some new approaches on the clinical side (telehealth and virtual engagement/support) and on the holistic side (Student Affairs Wellbeing and Success Network, the Department of Student Transitions, etc.), and using this preferred phrase will ensure we're addressing them all.
Zoom Tips and Tricks
Check out this valuable new resource assembled with the help of Marcus Jennings in Information Technology. Learn how you can brand your Zoom events and much more! It’s stored on the Resources page of the DAR website under Assets.
Public Service and Outreach
UGA Partners to Protect Native Alligators
A partnership between UGA researchers and the Okefenokee Swamp Park focuses on conservation and education to maintain the swamp’s native alligator population, which is vital to the economic vitality of the region. Read more.
New Georgia Power Auditorium
Take a peek at the first day of UGA Engineering classes in the new Georgia Power Auditorium.
Renovated Driftmier Engineering Center
We opened a newly renovated portion of the Driftmier Engineering Center. Do you have a donor or alumnus who would be interested in a virtual tour of the space? Contact Jan Blaine; a 15- to 20-minute tour can be set up quickly.
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Franklin Connection Lets Alumni Share with Students
Franklin College is forming deeper connections with alumni by inviting them to speak to students. The Franklin Connection series is hosted by Franklin College Student Ambassadors and open to all undergraduate and master’s students. For details, contact Debbie Daniel.
Open Positions
This is to make you aware of current position postings in the Development & Alumni Relations division. We encourage anyone interested in applying to do so. All UGA HR policies and procedures will apply. If you know of any potential candidates who may be a good fit for an opportunity, please contact Michelle Carter.
DAR - Development
Working Title: Senior Director of Development, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Posting: S05152P
DAR - UGA Foundation
Working Title: Associate Director of UGAF Internal Control and Audit
Posting: S05078P
DAR - Career Center
Working Title: Career Consultant
Posting: S05105P
Do you have information that you'd like included in the October or November edition of the Pulse? Send it to Emily Munnell.
|
