Quinn Barraza, Director of Annual Giving at University Oregon shares strategies, tips and motivational stories about how to overcome the challenges many of annual giving shops face in meeting goals and exceeding expectations.

1. OVERCOMING
CHALLENGES IN YOUR
ANNUAL GIVING
PROGRAM
Quinn Barraza
Director, Annual Giving Program – University of Oregon

2. What’s your problem?
My budget is too small!
I don’t have enough staff for all this!
The database is in shambles!
My prospect pools keep shrinking each
year!
Alumni participation… arrrrghhh!
We’re not keeping up with our peers!
You want me to do what?!

3. The Sad Truth is…
every annual giving program has
challenges!

4. 4 Things to Help Keep You
Focused and Moving Forward
 Know who you are
 Work smarter, not harder
 Plan the work and work the plan
 Make friends and allies

5. Know who you are…
 What are my program’s primary objectives?
 What is my case for support?
 Who is my audience(s)?
 How are we doing on the fundamentals?
 What are our core programs and how are they
performing?
 Know where you’re going

6. Worker smarter, not harder
 Enhance/expand what is working
 Drop what is ineffective or too costly
 Improve what is marginal but has potential to
do more
 Implement new programs that can make a
significant difference

7. Plan the work and work the plan
 Your strategic/operating plan is your:
 Roadmap for the year(s)
 Shield against “bright ideas”
 A flexible, living document
 Use these guiding principles:
 What can make the most significant difference to
our fund raising efforts this year?
 What can we reasonably accomplish with our
current staff and budget resources?

8. Make friends and allies
 Make the time to build personal relationships
 Your internal relationships will make or break
you
 IT/dataservices gurus
 Other advancement services staff
 Development directors
 Campus partners (Alumni Relations, Colleges,
Student Affairs, etc)
 Be the folks everyone wants to work with
 Honey goes a lot farther than vinegar

9. Give me something I can use this
year…
 Invest in good data
 Use specific gift amounts in your asks
 Focus on renewals, upgrades and reactivation
 Ask for multiple gifts (2nd ask strategy)
 Aggressive fulfillment strategy
 Promote monthly giving
 Not all donors and prospects are equal
 Friend donors are just as valuable as alumni
donors
 Good stewardship = higher donor retention

10. Final thoughts…
 Keep your eye on the prize
 It’s a marathon, not a race
 “I2” – Incremental Improvement

11. Time to air your dirty laundry…

12. Thank You!
Quinn Barraza
qbarraza@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-2129