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OT: U Delaware receives $71 million gift

S_Janowski

S_Janowski

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The couple who started the Siegfried group (if you’re in accounting you’ve probably heard the name) has donated $71 million to Udel’s Business school.

Pretty impressive donation - and the one thing that stood out to me….their first gift was in 1985 for $25.

This is a lesson for everyone who thinks small gifts don’t matter.

Most folks who give big started off small, and/or started off giving small.

www.udel.edu

$71.5 million gift to University of Delaware | UDaily

UD announces largest donation in the University's history
www.udel.edu www.udel.edu
 
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S_Janowski said:
The couple who started the Siegfried group (if you’re in accounting you’ve probably heard the name) has donated $71 million to Udel’s Business school.

Pretty impressive donation - and the one thing that stood out to me….their first gift was in 1985 for $25.

This is a lesson for everyone who thinks small gifts don’t matter.

Most folks who give big started off small, and/or started off giving small.

www.udel.edu

$71.5 million gift to University of Delaware | UDaily

UD announces largest donation in the University's history
www.udel.edu www.udel.edu
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Agreed. Giving in any small amount is valuable. More importantly, recipients should appreciate any amounts received. This example shows why.
 
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rucoe89 said:
Agreed. Giving in any small amount is valuable. More importantly, recipients should appreciate any amounts received. This example shows why.
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This is exactly what has traditionally been wrong with Rutgers' fund-raising: not enough emphasis is put on making small donors feel good so that they will increase their donations in the future.
 
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retired711 said:
This is exactly what has traditionally been wrong with Rutgers' fund-raising: not enough emphasis is put on making small donors feel good so that they will increase their donations in the future.
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Agree. I think Rutgers is now working on changing that but it can be inconsistent. No question it is exhausting, but building those relationships by starting early will lead to the occasional large payoff from those that end up with means to give.
 
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rucoe89 said:
Agree. I think Rutgers is now working on changing that but it can be inconsistent. No question it is exhausting, but building those relationships by starting early will lead to the occasional large payoff from those that end up with means to give.
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I'm sure you're right that the Rutgers Foundation is trying to change that, but it seems a very lengthy process for the Foundation to improve in any respect. It's really not that difficult to write donors a nice (non-bureaucratic) thank-you note and to follow up tactfully each year. The Foundation doesn't come even close to equally the effort of Berkeley, my alma mater, and even it needs to do better.
 
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retired711 said:
This is exactly what has traditionally been wrong with Rutgers' fund-raising: not enough emphasis is put on making small donors feel good so that they will increase their donations in the future.
Click to expand...

I've had this conversation with multiple R Fund people over the past few years. I pointed out that Pat & Sarah used to go around to ALL of the tailgate lots talking with fans & donors. Used to go all around the stadium doing the same thing. Pats last few years he did a loop of Scarlet/Green/Audi Club and no further.
I pointed out that every donor needs to be appreciated, not just the ones with 4 or 5 zeros in their donation totals.
When the RFund people come to the Rutgers Club before a MBB game, there's no reason they shouldn't & can't stop at every table to merely say hello, thanks for being here & supporting RU and move to the next table. Hell, there should be specific RFund people doing that every MBB game, and Going around the parking lots or the stadium for football, and talking to the faithful who attend wrestling, track & field, lacrosse and every other sport.

A simple thank you, in person, goes a long way. Because $25 donors can become $71,000,000 donors & you want them donating to you.
 
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rucoe89 said:
Agreed. Giving in any small amount is valuable. More importantly, recipients should appreciate any amounts received. This example shows why.
Click to expand...

retired711 said:
This is exactly what has traditionally been wrong with Rutgers' fund-raising: not enough emphasis is put on making small donors feel good so that they will increase their donations in the future.
Click to expand...
Or even from some big(ger) ones.
rucoe89 said:
Agree. I think Rutgers is now working on changing that, but it can be inconsistent. No question it is exhausting, but building those relationships by starting early will lead to the occasional large payoff from those that end up with means to give.
Click to expand...
As mentioned.
retired711 said:
I'm sure you're right that the Rutgers Foundation is trying to change that, but it seems a very lengthy process for the Foundation to improve in any respect. It's really not that difficult to write donors a nice (non-bureaucratic) thank-you note and to follow up tactfully each year. The Foundation doesn't come even close to equally the effort of Berkeley, my alma mater, and even it needs to do better.
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Good point as it's an apples-to-apples comparison (public vs. public).
MrsScrew said:
I've had this conversation with multiple R Fund people over the past few years. I pointed out that Pat & Sarah used to go around to ALL of the tailgate lots talking with fans & donors. Used to go all around the stadium doing the same thing. Pats last few years he did a loop of Scarlet/Green/Audi Club and no further.
I pointed out that every donor needs to be appreciated, not just the ones with 4 or 5 zeros in their donation totals.
When the RFund people come to the Rutgers Club before a MBB game, there's no reason they shouldn't & can't stop at every table to merely say hello, thanks for being here & supporting RU and move to the next table. Hell, there should be specific RFund people doing that every MBB game, and Going around the parking lots or the stadium for football, and talking to the faithful who attend wrestling, track & field, lacrosse and every other sport.

A simple thank you, in person, goes a long way. Because $25 donors can become $71,000,000 donors & you want them donating to you.
Click to expand...
I know "Ribbon Board" level folks who stopped getting that.
 
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Fundraising is critical to schools.

Duquesne University (Pittsburgh) President Ken Gormley will be stepping down in 2026.

About 10 years ago when he first became President he initiated a campaign to raise money for the University.

Duquesne is a small Catholic University with about 8200 students (grad/undergrad).

Through his fundraising efforts he was able to raise over $335 million dollars and start a DO Medical School at Duquesne.

Remarkable

HAIL TO PITT!!!!
 
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Panthergrowl13 said:
Fundraising is critical to schools.

Duquesne University (Pittsburgh) President Ken Gormley will be stepping down in 2026.

About 10 years ago when he first became President he initiated a campaign to raise money for the University.

Duquesne is a small Catholic University with about 8200 students (grad/undergrad).

Through his fundraising efforts he was able to raise over $335 million dollars and start a DO Medical School at Duquesne.

Remarkable

HAIL TO PITT!!!!
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Wow. That is incredible, and DO training fills such a critical need.
 
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rutgersal said:
Wow. That is incredible, and DO training fills such a critical need.
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Additionally, he is also expanding the Engineering Programs that DU has to offer which will now include Biomedical, Mechanical, Civil and Environmental. For a small school without funding support none of that would have been possible.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!
 
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retired711 said:
I'm sure you're right that the Rutgers Foundation is trying to change that, but it seems a very lengthy process for the Foundation to improve in any respect. It's really not that difficult to write donors a nice (non-bureaucratic) thank-you note and to follow up tactfully each year. The Foundation doesn't come even close to equally the effort of Berkeley, my alma mater, and even it needs to do better.
Click to expand...
Berkeley and the other UCs are at another level relative to Rutgers. In addition to the alums, they also bring in the immediate family. My daughter is a Cal Berkeley alum and in addition to her getting reach outs my wife and I also get regular reach outs from them to keep us involved with the school too. My son is at another UC and they have already begun regular reach out to us and he hasn't even graduated yet!
 
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Laughable regarding Rutgers. I've posted a few times I had. a 6 figure offer in front of them starting last summer and after months of zero interest I tried yet again in December but cut it in half. As it once again got nowhere because (apparently ) it didn't offer an immediate contribution ( I pledged and was willing to enter into a contract to pay Rutgers 2x the actual required amount in consideration for the deferred payment). I even committed to cover any cost increases that might occur in donation levels during the timeframe. (a few years not a decade). My first offer was larger because it also covered paying Rutgers in ADVANCE for several years too.

So you can talk about Rutgers not appreciating and building relationships with $25 donors but they can't be bothered with a $100k offer either that could lead and build into a much bigger lifetime legacy donation.
I pulled the offer today. This school is a joke at this stuff.

So this NIL stuff and guys like Al lecturing on fieldhouse? Ha. I'm done and this is the last time I will mention it because I know reality around here.
 
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rucoe89 said:
Berkeley and the other UCs are at another level relative to Rutgers. In addition to the alums, they also bring in the immediate family. My daughter is a Cal Berkeley alum and in addition to her getting reach outs my wife and I also get regular reach outs from them to keep us involved with the school too. My son is at another UC and they have already begun regular reach out to us and he hasn't even graduated yet!
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I've taken the liberty of forwarding your comment to Carol Christ, the chancellor emerita at Berkeley who retired last June. (She and I correspond occasionally. ) I'm sure she'll be pleased. BTW, she is a 1966 graduate of Douglass -- that is, she went to Douglass when it was a separate institution with its own faculty although part of Rutgers.
 
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rucoe89 said:
Berkeley and the other UCs are at another level relative to Rutgers. In addition to the alums, they also bring in the immediate family. My daughter is a Cal Berkeley alum and in addition to her getting reach outs my wife and I also get regular reach outs from them to keep us involved with the school too. My son is at another UC and they have already begun regular reach out to us and he hasn't even graduated yet!
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Our kids school does this too. They went to the same one and right now we get stuff directed to my wife since the older one has already graduated.
DHajekRC84 said:
Laughable regarding Rutgers. I've posted a few times I had. a 6 figure offer in front of them starting last summer and after months of zero interest I tried yet again in December but cut it in half. As it once again got nowhere because (apparently ) it didn't offer an immediate contribution ( I pledged and was willing to enter into a contract to pay Rutgers 2x the actual required amount in consideration for the deferred payment). I even committed to cover any cost increases that might occur in donation levels during the timeframe. (a few years not a decade). My first offer was larger because it also covered paying Rutgers in ADVANCE for several years too.

So you can talk about Rutgers not appreciating and building relationships with $25 donors but they can't be bothered with a $100k offer either that could lead and build into a much bigger lifetime legacy donation.
I pulled the offer today. This school is a joke at this stuff.

So this NIL stuff and guys like Al lecturing on fieldhouse? Ha. I'm done and this is the last time I will mention it because I know reality around here.
Click to expand...
Like I said earlier, this is happening to “Ribbon Board” level folks too.
 
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mdk01 said:
The effort pays off, even if it's a less than a one in a hundred success rate. My late father made his living as a fund raising consultant for over 40 years for colleges and medical centers. He would have told you those lecturers are wrong.
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When we're talking about a multimillion dollar gift, even less than a one in a hundred success rate is excellent.
 
DHajekRC84 said:
Laughable regarding Rutgers. I've posted a few times I had. a 6 figure offer in front of them starting last summer and after months of zero interest I tried yet again in December but cut it in half. As it once again got nowhere because (apparently ) it didn't offer an immediate contribution ( I pledged and was willing to enter into a contract to pay Rutgers 2x the actual required amount in consideration for the deferred payment). I even committed to cover any cost increases that might occur in donation levels during the timeframe. (a few years not a decade). My first offer was larger because it also covered paying Rutgers in ADVANCE for several years too.

So you can talk about Rutgers not appreciating and building relationships with $25 donors but they can't be bothered with a $100k offer either that could lead and build into a much bigger lifetime legacy donation.
I pulled the offer today. This school is a joke at this stuff.

So this NIL stuff and guys like Al lecturing on fieldhouse? Ha. I'm done and this is the last time I will mention it because I know reality around here.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the RU Screw is alive and well.
 
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