Annual giving appeals are an essential part of fundraising at the School of Public Health (SPH). Annual appeals allow donors to make an immediate impact, supporting areas of importance to them. Gifts that come through annual appeals are typically smaller amounts ($25 – $100) from a large pool of donors.
Every year, the Office of Advancement puts together a strategic annual giving plan to bring in philanthropic dollars. We work directly with division leaders to determine division priorities and priority funds. We also offer the opportunity for anyone at SPH who feels they have a compelling project to submit for an annual giving appeal. Our team reviews these proposals to determine if it is possible to hold a successful annual giving appeal for your project.
Please note that the Office of Advancement has a strong understanding of donor wealth capacity and where donor interests lie. We use concrete data, research, school priorities, and division priorities to understand how successful an annual appeal will be and if we should conduct an annual giving appeal. Again, the Office of Advancement determines the overall strategy and that may already include specific divisions, programs, and centers. The Office of Advancement will require the following for an appeal:
- Strong support from the selected units to develop content for the appeal. Units are responsible for developing graphics, videos, and content about their project to share in the appeal.
- A matching gift of at least $5,000. See FAQ for more information on matching gifts.
- At least 3 months for planning and marketing.
If you have questions, please contact Elizabeth Wegele (wege0002@umn.edu).
Frequently Asked Annual Giving Appeal Questions
No, the Office of Advancement has a strong understanding of donor wealth capacity and where donor interests lie. We use concrete data and research to understand how successful an annual appeal will be. For many of our divisions, programs, and units we automatically review and place them into the overall annual giving strategy.
The Annual Giving Appeal Application is primarily intended for SPH units that feel they have a compelling story or project that has the potential to bring in philanthropic support.
It is not likely that an annual appeal will bring in thousands to millions of dollars. Annual appeals solicit small gifts from a large pool of donors. On average at SPH, an annual appeal will typically bring between $3,000-$10,000. The success of an appeal is determined by several factors from the size of the audience to the tradition of giving for that specific area.
The purpose of an annual giving appeal is to engage your audience in learning more about your division/center/program, in giving, and in bringing in philanthropic support dollars. Annual giving appeals allow your audience to support a cause they deem important and in alignment with their philanthropic giving. Additionally, annual giving appeals provide the opportunity for the Office of Advancement to identify possible prospective major gift donors.
From the initial meeting to the end of an annual giving appeal it typically takes three months. The first two months are focused on putting together the appeal. The Office of Advancement will require strong support from the selected units to develop and provide content for the appeal. The appeal itself can last for approximately one month depending on the mode of distribution (mail vs. email).
No, you have to have a University of Minnesota Foundation fund to be able to do an appeal. Otherwise, there is no way to collect donations. However, your SPH Advancement Team can determine alternatives and will work with you to understand your UMF fund options.
A matching gift is a gift made by a donor, or a group of donors that allows every dollar donated to be matched up to a specific amount. Matching gifts double the impact of every dollar. We recommend at least a $5,000 match for every appeal. A matching gift provides strong motivation for donating.
Your SPH Advancement Team has a strong understanding of a donor’s wealth capacity and where their philanthropic interests lie. If you have a short list (1-5 people) of potential donors that you think would be willing to provide a $5,000 match (could also be a group of donors), please contact Elizabeth Wegele (wege0002@umn.edu). Elizabeth can review your list and discuss potential next steps.
- A compelling story. Why should donors support your cause?
- Content that can be used to tell that story; a video, data, user feedback, student quotes, etc.
- A large pool (1,000+) of potential donors to contact.
- A matching gift.
We create and set our strategy before the beginning of the academic year. You are more than welcome to submit at any time, however, it is unlikely we will be able to add you to the queue in the middle of the year. It takes at least 3 months of planning to put together an annual giving appeal. However, we can always consider your appeal for the next fiscal year.
The Office of Advancement has a strong understanding of a donor’s wealth capacity and where their interests lie. We not only review for stand-alone appeals but also more general appeals with different themes. We use concrete data, research, school priorities, and division priorities to understand how successful an annual giving appeal will be and if we should conduct one. The information you submit allows us to determine timeline, audience, and an appropriate goal. Our commitment is to bring in philanthropic dollars to SPH and we will always do our best to support and efficiently advise our SPH colleagues.
Give to the Max Day is Minnesota’s largest giving day. It is a highly competitive day for all participating non-profits. In the last few years, the University of Minnesota Foundation has reviewed data showing that dollars coming in on Give to the Max Day is a very small percentage of the overall donations that come in annually for the University. For SPH, a Give to the Max appeal accounts for less than 1% of our annual giving dollars. SPH’s strategy with GTMD is to promote one general SPH fund that has wide school appeal and can benefit all SPH units and programs. Our Give to the Max Day strategy focuses on ensuring a strong return on investment and resources.
