Posts

November ’23 DAR Star: Leandra Nessel

by Lindsay Tuck Morris

We work with absolutely incredible people—and we all have varied interests and experiences, which adds to the unique makeup of the University of Georgia. We’ll be regularly spotlighting a few rock stars from around the division so that even if you don’t cross paths with them in the break room or Zoom with them on a weekly basis, you can get to know colleagues who can enhance your work life and productivity.

Without further ado, please enjoy our Q&A with Leandra Nessel …

Name: Leandra Nessel

Title: Associate Director of Development and Annual Giving

  • My job is to help people understand how the Library supports every unit and college on campus and how we contribute to student success. I also educate people about how a 21st century library functions and why we need philanthropic support

What might people not know about your job? People might not know how much fun we have, how many cool things we have in the special collections libraries and how the library is the perfect collaboration partner for overall student support.

Where can we find you?

  • Online: ude.agu@lessenl
  • On Campus: Main Library
  • At Home: Athens, Georgia

Time in DAR: 16.5 years

Where did you grow up: Elberton, Georgia

What is your favorite reason for working for UGA/DAR? I love meeting people who are as passionate about the university as I am.

Work project you’ve been most proud participating in: Through the magic of alumni connections and our wonderful library staff, I was able to find some footage in our archives that allowed a man to hear his mother’s voice for the first time. As you can imagine, it was very emotional for everyone involved.

What is your favorite spot in Athens to grab lunch? Can I say downtown Taco Stand even though it’s gone? I miss it so much!

Tell us about your family I’ve been married for 26 years to Kent. We have two sons ages 20 and 17, a senior rescue dog named Bella, and a cat named Vinny.

On a typical Saturday evening, you can find me … On the sofa watching one of the many many British/Icelandic murder mysteries we are obsessed with, or watching the Braves.

No. 1 tip for someone just joining DAR: Get to know your colleagues outside of your unit. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to them at one of the big meetings, which can sometimes feel overwhelming.

Outside of work, I’m passionate about … Reading and writing

Favorite book or podcast: Asking me my favorite book is liking asking which is my favorite child! If pressed, I would say “Code Name Verity” is my favorite book. It’s the only book I’ve ever immediately started re-reading when I was done.

Lately, I’ve been watching … Endeavor on PBS.

A song that really pumps me up is … “Close to Me” by The Cure.

Something you might not know about me is … I have two tattoos.

My dream vacation (cost and time aside) is to visit … England, Scotland and Ireland.

We hope you learned something new about Leandra. We are lucky to have her on our DAR team! Feel free to reach out to her if you have questions about development, or if you’d like to talk about libraries and archives.

, /by

UGA wins Beat Week (again)

by Heather Duiser

It’s always an exciting matchup when UGA and Auburn go head-to-head, and Beat Week 2022 was no exception.

Beat Week is the philanthropic counterpart to “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry,” and the rules are simple: the university with the most gifts raised during the week leading up to the game wins!

Following UGA’s two consecutive victories, Auburn was looking for their first win this year—and for much of the week, it appeared they might just do it.

However, the UGA community rallied late in the week to take the lead after several days of trading back and forth with Auburn. The result was a double dose of victory for UGA on and off the field. And when the dust settled in the Gift Accounting office, the final score stood:

UGA–2,984

Auburn–1,817

A good coach always acknowledges that every win is a team effort, and that’s certainly true for Beat Week. Everyone played a role: alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends!

UGA’s student body had an impressive outing worthy of SportsCenter’s Top-10 performances; over 700 students flexed their philanthropic muscles and took part in the effort!

Beat Week raised over $1 million to over 300 fund designations across campus supporting scholarships, research, academic programming and a lot more; proving that UGA isn’t just No. 1 in the newest AP Poll, but also in generosity.

Thank you to everyone who made Beat Week a success! GO DAWGS!

/by

A Look into Leadership Annual Gifts with UGA’s Central Annual Giving Team

by Joey Lynn

Soliciting leadership annual gifts can be tough – even when we aren’t facing a pandemic. Despite the circumstances, universities across the country are finding innovative ways to solicit and engage alumni and donors. Like true Bulldogs, we sic ‘em and persevere. I’ve compiled a list of best practices to solicit leadership annual gifts.


What is a leadership annual gift (LAG)?

Leadership annual gifts represent the middle ground between a “regular” annual donation and a major gift. Generally, a major gift to UGA is over $25,000, while “regular” annual gifts are under $1,499. Therefore, LAGs are usually between $1,500 and $25,000. The caveat, though, is that every annual giving program at UGA is different.  

 

 

How does Central Annual Giving manage leadership donors?

Many fundraisers assume it is a best practice to place a LAG plan on every donor that annually gives between $1,500 and $25,000. While that might be effective in some cases, it’s not necessarily the best approach. Knowing which records to place a LAG plan on is largely a matter of context and subjective decision making. There aren’t hard and fast rules to decide which donors get a LAG plan, so a balanced, mixed approach is useful for most development officers.  

 An important point to note is that most leadership donors can renew their gift each year through the phone program or email and direct mail solicitations. Once an opportunity is placed on the donor’s record through a plan, however, they are excluded from central solicitations. Before creating the plan, make sure you will commit to it. There’s no harm in allowing the donor to be solicited through direct mail a time or two before attempting personal outreach. This strategy gives you the flexibility to adjust your fundraising strategy throughout the year and focus on what the data tells you. 


3 tips to maximize your unit’s LAG efforts:

  1. Consider context. It’s not always practical for leadership-level giving to start at $1,500. Context matters. Ultimately, the concept of leadership annual giving exists to grow your donor and dollar pipeline, which doesn’t work if the parameters don’t fit your program. For instance, if only two of your donors give $1,500 or more, it makes sense to decrease your leadership threshold to include more donors at a lower level. 
  2. Be strategic. When deciding whether to create a LAG plan, be thoughtful about your approach rather than relying on an inflexible set of rules. 
  3. Keep up with opportunities and plans. You are solely responsible for soliciting a donor’s gift if you place a LAG plan on them. 

 

Questions, comments, or concerns? Just want to talk shop about leadership annual giving? I would love to hear your thoughts – email me at ude.agu@nnylwhpesoj. 

/by

How to Personalize Your Direct Mail Solicitations

by Chatise R. Smith

The annual giving team has seen the benefits of incorporating variable data into direct mail solicitations. In FY20, the Fall Direct Mail Solicitation—one of UGA’s largest and most personalized mailings to date—brought in over $250,000. Since then, our team has fielded a number of questions about how we personalize our mail pieces. Today, I’m sharing tips on how you can personalize your unit’s direct mail solicitations using variable data. I’ll be using our FY20 Spring Direct Mail Solicitation as an example.

What is variable personalization in direct mail?

Variable personalization incorporates variable (interchangeable) data into specific areas of a mail piece such as the contribution card, copy, images, and more. Think of it as a “mail merge” but more technical. [Note: Variable data is rendered in pink in the final layout. The color serves as a prompt to the printer.]

Variable Data Example

Why should my unit use variable data?

Personalization sells! There’s no doubt about it. In 2017, Accenture Consulting found that 55% of nonprofit donors would give or volunteer more in exchange for a more personalized experience. 59% of the survey respondents said they would give up to 10% more, 25% would donate up to 25% more, and 8% said they would donate up to 50% more.

 GAIL houses a plethora of information such as a constituent’s degree area, giving history, giving capacity, and more.* Specific examples include:

  • Educational degree affiliation(s)
  • Interested causes
  • Most recent fund designation
  • Largest fund designation
  • Degree affiliation designation(s)

*This list is not exhaustive. Consider all of the information we store in GAIL for each constituent and consider how your unit can use that information to personalize a direct mail piece. The various types of information available can be found on a constituent’s profile page. To access this information for your unit’s mailing(s), create an ASKIT ticket and ask for the information to be included in your marketing effort export definition.

How can I use the variable data available to me?

Each type of variable data can serve a different purpose in your mailer. Here are a few examples:

  • Educational degree affiliation(s) – This information can justify including a unit-specific buckslip in a mailer to multi-affiliation constituents; the variable data determining which constituents will receive which inserts. If your unit has various departments, you might create a custom buckslip for each department.
College Personalization Example

 

  • Most recent fund designation – This information can be included on a contribution card to prompt donors to make a gift to a specific designation. If your donors often give to funds in your unit, it is a good method to entice donors to continue.
Fund Personalization Example
  • Causes – Each school/college was surveyed to determine what causes and relevant designations best represent their unit. The Causes giving page encourages donors to explore designations by cause. Consider incorporating your unit’s related cause funds into a contribution card using variable data and note in which causes your constituents seem to be most interested.

Here are a few basic tips for personalizing a direct mail piece:

  • Coordinate your personalized project early – Variable data can take time to collect and specifications can be hard to write up. Determine exactly what data you need and start to collect it early. If you are working with other units, provide them with specific guidelines and timelines as soon as possible.
  • Use the information available to you – Consider what information you already have on your constituents and use it to personalize their direct mail pieces
  • Ask your donors what they like – Survey your donors to discover what motivates them to give—and then solicit based on that feedback. Identify which variable data is best to use, based on what motivates your donors: causes, school/college support, general love for your university, etc.
  • Get creative – Variable data can be gleaned and used for many, many reasons. Get creative and think outside the box. Use the information you have access to for more reasons that one.

To learn more about direct mail variable personalization, contact Chatise Smith in Annual Giving.

 

, , /by