When an 89-year-old woman sat down with a Drake University staff member to discuss an estate gift, she and her husband had intended to fund a scholarship. But an unexpected conversation changed her mind.
Pam Pepper, assistant vice president of alumni and development and the Jay N. Darling Institute director, visited with the prospective donor and told her about the institute, which helps Iowa farm kids from rural communities. The woman teared up; she saw herself and her late husband, both Iowa farm kids, in the children this institute supports, and she realized how much this would mean to them.
At the end of the meeting, she decided to direct her gift to the Darling Institute and to offer the gift now so students could benefit immediately.
This was a memorable moment for Pepper.
“To see her passion, her excitement, her tears,” Pepper said. “It was pure joy just watching her connect [to] this.”
Involving alumni in fundraising is a critical part of Drake’s strategic plan, according to Emily Weaver, director of donor engagement.
“Tuition covers roughly 60% of the cost to educate a student,” Weaver said. “Philanthropy is what covers the gap.”
Andy Verlengia, director of alumni engagement, and his team are responsible for serving the roughly 76,000 alumni they engage with and their continuing relationship with Drake.
In addition to asking for donations, the team creates programs and events that interest alumni, which include athletics, networking, mentorships and volunteering.
Verlengia and his team use an alumni engagement score. They go through their alumni database and track engagement through points. Having frequent gifts, being on a board, speaking in a class, attending events and responding to surveys provide points.
“We do not stress the dollar amount of the gift,” Verlengia said. “The frequency of the gift is just as important to our success.”
A donation of $5 per month over several years, for example, will result in a very positive alumni engagement score, said Verlengia.
Events are a very important part of alumni connections. The Drake Relays is the biggest; Drake’s homecoming brings back many generations of alumni each year, including an annual 50th reunion. There are also regional athletic events. Every year in St. Louis, many alumni connect at a huge party during the men’s Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Drake connected with alumni from farther away by hosting “Everclass.” In virtual sessions, alumni could join a Zoom and see other alumni and faculty. This event was also adapted into a podcast for those who didn’t join the Zoom so they could still feel connected by listening on their phones.
Weaver’s team remains donor-centered and plans luncheons that connect students who have benefited from scholarships with the donors who helped provide them.
Donors are also provided a specific financial report summarizing how their dollars have been spent and how much each student was provided. Twice each year, scholarship recipients are strongly encouraged to write thank-you notes to donors.
“We hope students don’t see this as transactional,” Weaver said. “They see this as a lifelong relationship with the University.”
These relationships, Pepper said, start much sooner than students realize.
“The day they step on campus as a student,” Pepper said, “They’re future alums, and they will be alums forever.”
