Digital Development Officers:
How Kansas State is connecting with more
donors and passing more prospects to major
gift officers

Eric Holderness
AVP of Development
Kansas State University
Foundation
erich@ksufoundation.org
Mike Nagel
Manager of Customer &
Product Marketing
EverTrue
mike.nagel@evertrue.com
Quinlan Stein
Digital Development Officer
Kansas State University
Foundation
quinlans@ksufoundation.org
Georgina Clemens
Digital Development Officer
Kansas State University
Foundation
georginac@ksufoundation.org

How is your institution thinking
about a Digital Gift Officer program?
Poll Time

And if you are… how’s that Digital
Gift Officer program going?
Poll Time

SN
Dear Eric,
I loved my time so much as a
Journalism student in Kedzie
Hall that I named our dog,
“Kedzie.”
By the way, my husband
needs one of those lovely
purple ties. Where can I get
one?
Sincerely,
Stacie N. ‘92

Winning companies treat
you like they know you.

Top 5%
Bottom 95%
Me

Mike Nagel

Donor counts have
dropped by 33% in
the last 15 years
YOY donor
retention is
~65%
Old-school tactics
miss the mark
The Problem
Other tactics
create short-term
spikes, not
long-term loyalty

Bottom 95%
5%
Old Way

SN
Dear Eric,
I loved my time so much as a
Journalism student in Kedzie
Hall that I named our dog,
“Kedzie.”
By the way, my husband
needs one of those lovely
purple ties. Where can I get
one?
Sincerely,
Stacie N. ‘92

Remember that letter?

Remember that letter?
Kevin N.
Lenexa, KS
Class of 1992, Kansas State
President
Energy Group

5%
Middle
Bottom
New Way
Personal, Digital Outreach
- Renew sub-$10k Donors
- Reactivate Lapsed Donors
- Acquire Engaged Non-Donors

Engage
Qualify
Assign
Solicit
Retain
New Way
#FLIPTHEPYRAMID

Download:
Digital Gift Officer
Playbook
Just open your camera, point
it here, and tap the link

Bridging a Gap

Program Goals
Contacts a Day # of Delivered
Solicitations
# of Major Gift
Referrals

K-State
Problem We’re Solving Major Gift Pipeline
Primary Goal Major Gift Leads
Secondary Goal Delivered Solicitations
Key Metrics Departmental Dollars Raised, Total Donor Count
# of DGOs/DXOs 3
How is Prospect
Pool Defined?
40,000 prospects whose wealth capacity indicates Major Gift capable
# of Assignments Open cultivation; no official management
Daily Activity Goal 100 contacts per day
Incentive Compensation No
Technology You’re Leveraging EverTrue, ThankView, ThruText, Emma, Skype, Video, KeyHole, Yesware

A Day in the Life
of a DGO

“Donor Concierge”
● Simplify the donor experience
● First response when someone
calls to give or gives online
● Answer mail, notes, etc.
● Respond to social posts
● Accept… and ask “Why?”

Gift Story

“Donor Concierge”
● Read all call notes from student
callers
● Who’s raised their hand and is
ready for the next conversation?

Warm Up & Follow-Up (with the
Right People)
● Work in lockstep with Strategic
Solicitation
● 15k mailing… Who are the right
150 people to get personal
outreach before and after?

Finding Impact Stories
● What are the best stories from
campus?
● Passion + Purple
● K-State Today
● Social Media
● Magazine

Delivering the Message
● Who’s Facebook
engagement, giving
history, or contact report
reveals interest in the
topic?
● Leverage technology
(Yesware, ThruText) to
send personal
communications at scale

Campaigns and Projects

Hale Library

Bosco Scholarship

Early Wins

Lessons Learned
(so far)

Move Fast, Break Things (What We’ve Learned)
● Mistakes happen — how do we make
it right? (ThruText, social ambassador
program)
● What works? What doesn’t?
● Strategy has to be the focus. We’re
not selling a product — we’re asking
for money for nothing.
Thank you very much!
This message is exactly
why I love the K-State
family. Thanks for fixing it
and, don’t sweat it. Have
a great night. Go ‘Cats
and happy holidays!!

What’s Next?
What’s Next?

What’s Next?
● How to activate never-donors?
● Allowing people to give back no matter how they want
to give.
● Expanding the program
● Building a talent pipeline

How to Take a Giving
Funnel Approach

Download:
Digital Gift Officer
Playbook
Just open your camera, point
it here, and tap the link

Admit Something Needs to ChangeStep 1:
Since 2005, alumni participation rates have
dropped by 33%
Since 1990, they have been cut in half

Start with a TestStep 2:

Build Your FunnelStep 3:
ENGAGE
QUALIFY
ASSIGN
SOLICIT

Make it PersonalStep 4:
Connect interests
and engagement
to opportunities to
give

Measure ImpactStep 5:
1. What did you learn?
2. Did you hit your goals?
3. What difference did your team make?

Q&A

Eric Holderness
AVP of Development
Kansas State University
Foundation
erich@ksufoundation.org
Mike Nagel
Manager of Customer &
Product Marketing
EverTrue
mike.nagel@evertrue.com
Quinlan Stein
Digital Development Officer
Kansas State University
Foundation
quinlans@ksufoundation.org
Georgina Clemens
Digital Development Officer
Kansas State University
Foundation
georginac@ksufoundation.org