(10-27-2018 02:18 PM)Purple Pilgrim Wrote:  

(10-27-2018 01:53 PM)Dignan Wrote:  

(10-27-2018 01:21 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(10-27-2018 12:50 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  This is a solid step-up for JMU. The first capital campaign was for $50 million. No doubt $50 mil is a significant amount for an individual, but it hardly registers on the radar for institutional campaigns. When Rose announced that $50 mil was the target (over 10 years ago) I felt a little embarrassed for JMU that either LR or the development office felt that amount was a reasonable goal for JMU. I saw it as extreme conservatism and a frightened approach to fundraising.

So, $200 mil represents a fourfold increase compared to that initial effort. With the current endowment just poking its nose past $100 mil, this campaign should elevate the endowment to the $300 mil range. If it's another 10 years before the next capital campaign, and that campaign also sees a fourfold increase in the targeted amount (to the $800 mil range) we will finally see JMU's endowment start to mature into something that can really impact programming at all levels.

Go Dukes

Will all this money be part of the endowment? My impression was this campaign is to fund various other activities/projects throughout the school:
https://www.jmu.edu/unleashed/priorities.shtml

Yeah, I admit I don’t exactly understand how all this works but I always thought an endowment was basically money put into savings/investment and generates interest for spending but the capital itself isn’t used for expenditures.

I have been told in the past by people in the administration that one factor in JMU’s low endowment (although certainly not the only factor) was that JMU has expended large parts of the endowment on capital projects and land acquisition. So I do not think that is correct.

You are correct. What you were told is not correct. The reason the endowment is small is because JMU are many, but the biggest reason is the giving rates have been low. Gifts to the endowment are invested, and only a portion (using a formula) of the earnings are spent. The endowment corpus is not spent.

I hate to be pessimistic but I can't help but look into the numbers and be skeptical. The update from over the weekend says that the campaign has gone from $120M to $124.5M and has 45,000 donors. It says $3+M came from three gifts in the 7 figure range over the weekend. It says the goal is 65,000 donors.

45,000 donors, which includes the big wigs that were reached out to before the campaign went public, donated on average $2,766. Take away the donors that have been publicly recognized (Damico $1M, Gilliam $5.2M, Major $1+M, 3 at $1+M) and you are left with 44,994 donors giving, at most, an average of $2,540.

JMU now wants to raise an additional $75M from just 20,000 donors, or from the joe schomos if you will, for an average donation of $3,750.

(10-28-2018 09:06 AM)DoubleDogDare Wrote:  I hate to be pessimistic but I can't help but look into the numbers and be skeptical. The update from over the weekend says that the campaign has gone from $120M to $124.5M and has 45,000 donors. It says $3+M came from three gifts in the 7 figure range over the weekend. It says the goal is 65,000 donors.

45,000 donors, which includes the big wigs that were reached out to before the campaign went public, donated on average $2,766. Take away the donors that have been publicly recognized (Damico $1M, Gilliam $5.2M, Major $1+M, 3 at $1+M) and you are left with 44,994 donors giving, at most, an average of $2,540.

JMU now wants to raise an additional $75M from just 20,000 donors, or from the joe schomos if you will, for an average donation of $3,750.

Fair observation and close look at the numbers. That said 20,000 additional donors isn’t the max, and there is quite likely several more big gifts yet to be made. No campaign goes public if the odds of failure are good. I think this will campaign will succeed, but obviously there’s work yet to do.

(10-28-2018 10:11 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 09:06 AM)DoubleDogDare Wrote:  I hate to be pessimistic but I can't help but look into the numbers and be skeptical. The update from over the weekend says that the campaign has gone from $120M to $124.5M and has 45,000 donors. It says $3+M came from three gifts in the 7 figure range over the weekend. It says the goal is 65,000 donors.

45,000 donors, which includes the big wigs that were reached out to before the campaign went public, donated on average $2,766. Take away the donors that have been publicly recognized (Damico $1M, Gilliam $5.2M, Major $1+M, 3 at $1+M) and you are left with 44,994 donors giving, at most, an average of $2,540.

JMU now wants to raise an additional $75M from just 20,000 donors, or from the joe schomos if you will, for an average donation of $3,750.

Fair observation and close look at the numbers. That said 20,000 additional donors isn’t the max, and there is quite likely several more big gifts yet to be made. No campaign goes public if the odds of failure are good. I think this will campaign will succeed, but obviously there’s work yet to do.

Also, I think as with Giving Day, you want to set a participation goal that is a challenge but attainable that would motivate potential donors that have not yet given. I think this campaign is huge for JMU and the fact that 124.5M has already been raised is a testament to the work of the advancement team as well as a great sign that there are people out there ready to support JMU.

It's a shame the rain broke up some of the momentum for the announcement. Having everybody in one place on the quad would have been something.

The goal is to achieve 200M by fiscal-end 2022 I think. As with the last campaign, I expect JMU to finish ahead of that goal. The stories that people are telling for WHY they're giving 7-figure gifts will inspire many other gifts of that magnitude. JMU is finally reaching some of that giving potential. Very exciting time to be a part of James Madison University.

Being the internet, let me be clear that this is a great thing for JMU and I applaud all the other donors that are stepping up. I even stated the first post stating that I hated being negative.

However, the last two responses read as if JMU is paying attention to their goals and isn't just throwing darts with blindfolds. Admittedly, I don't they aren't sitting around tossing darts but the numbers suggest they aren't really looking at this stuff. A goal of 20k more donors and $75M more donations just doesn't jive with results to date or seem reasonable. As for the "goals are made to be attainable/stretch but ultimately accomplished" argument, based on the public info on unleashed , I don't see support for that statement.

Take a look back at Duke Club fundraising results (yes I realized JMU and DC fundraising are different) for evidence that goal setting can fall on the priority list.

In the 2012 DC brochure they state an unrestricted fundraising goal of $2.1M. The Duke Club ended up getting 1.87M in 2012 (a decrease from 2011 of 1.95). Regardless of the declining donation and not hitting their 2012 goal, they increased the goal to 2.15M for 2013. In 2013, they raised 1.91M (still less than 2011) but again set a higher goal for the following year (2.2M).

It took 5 years for the DC to surpass the 2012 goal in 2016. That timeline includes the bump that Gameday gave JMU during the 2015 season. Admittedly, these are much smaller numbers, so it could quickly swing one way or the other with a few $5k donations, but regardless, it shows that fundraising goal setting can sometimes be very wrong.

EDIT: Deez Nuts had to jump in there any make my "last two responses" line wrong soo read that as post #123 and post #124.

DDD, which part do you disagree with, the 20K donors, or the 75M in 4 years?

One point I do wonder about... I'll have to see if I can find out the answer: If Deez Nuts donates 5 times this year, does that count as 5 or 1 in the 65K donor goal? If it's the former, we're going to smash 20K donors in four years (see Giving Day which experienced over 5,000 donations in a day... with something like 1,000 of them being first-time donors). If it's 20,000 distinct giving individuals (who probably haven't committed a gift in the last four years), that does seem aggressive given JMU's donor history (the 7-10% number we throw around). I would venture a guess that most of us are already counted in the 45K figure who have made a gift in the 4 years already summarized by the $125M progress.

If it's 75M in 4 years that you think is unattainable, I'd point out that the Rose Campaign of $50M that finished early and 40% over the target, along with the fact that JMU is receiving around 20M annually (and increasing) is plenty enough evidence that the goal is reasonable. I honestly think 75M could be reached within three years.

Just wondering.

65k individual donors seems obtainable. Take 10% of graduating class the last 20 years then include a percentage for the parents of current students, school employees, Harrisonburg residents, alums from >20+years, etc. That should get you close to 65k(?). Add in the possibility that some folks are probably being double/triple counted, definitely obtainable.

I also fully expect us to get to $200M.

I don't see us getting $75M from an additional 20k donors (not counted in the 45k). The numbers don't show how that is possible given the required average donation amount compared to the current rate. As such, the two goals don't seem to align to me, which is really my only point, one of the goals must be off.

Other considerations for your donation counter. Sometimes I donate directly through my paycheck and I'm guessing it comes through as DDD with an employer tag as my company matches these donations. Twice a year my company matches all employee donations, is that 1 donor or multiple? When I donate through JMU's site sometimes it is DDD and sometimes Mr & Mrs. DDD. Before she became Mrs. DDD, she has donations under her maiden name. I'm pretty sure since we were both alums they linked us via our student ID number but I'm not sure if that was JMU or Duke Cub specifically. Basically, am I/we 1 donor or 5+ (DDD/employeer, DDD, employer, Mr. and Mrs. DDD, Mrs. Maiden DDD)?

Good questions!

I speculate that 75M from 20K donors (divided evenly for $3750 per donor) is definitely not happening. What I think is the more likely scenario will be 60M by about 100 donors, hitting significant 6-figure gifts and low 7-figure gifts for naming centers and buildings on campus, and 15M by the other 19,900 for an average gift of like $750. Obviously the average gift won't be $1,000, however it hints at what I really think the goal of the campaign is - participation at any level. When tens of thousands of people pitch in $100, you raise a lot of money pretty quickly.

(10-29-2018 02:16 PM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  Good questions!

I speculate that 75M from 20K donors (divided evenly for $3750 per donor) is definitely not happening. What I think is the more likely scenario will be 60M by about 100 donors, hitting significant 6-figure gifts and low 7-figure gifts for naming centers and buildings on campus, and 15M by the other 19,900 for an average gift of like $750. Obviously the average gift won't be $1,000, however it hints at what I really think the goal of the campaign is - participation at any level. When tens of thousands of people pitch in $100, you raise a lot of money pretty quickly.

I think they need to create matching campaigns to motivate folks. Leverage some of those big donations by setting a time limit and putting out a call for donations to be matched by a big donor.

For example, maybe a pool of JMU NFLers start a social media campaign challenging JMU Nation. It'd be great to see a bunch of them coming together, could make all kinds of vids around it. For every dollar donated over the next 48 hours, they'll match it up to "x dollars". Do it over the URI home game weekend, get them and vids at the game rallying the crowd. Their visibility and the strength of their money will turn far more heads than an email or phone call.

(10-29-2018 02:34 PM)2Buck Wrote:  I think they need to create matching campaigns to motivate folks. Leverage some of those big donations by setting a time limit and putting out a call for donations to be matched by a big donor.

For example, maybe a pool of JMU NFLers start a social media campaign challenging JMU Nation. It'd be great to see a bunch of them coming together, could make all kinds of vids around it. For every dollar donated over the next 48 hours, they'll match it up to "x dollars". Do it over the URI home game weekend, get them and vids at the game rallying the crowd. Their visibility and the strength of their money will turn far more heads than an email or phone call.

Let me fix that...."For example, maybe one of the JMU NFLers, who isn't named Moats, start donating." For full disclosure, this is one year and just DC.

2016 Letterwinner Chapter Members

social media campaigns by some JMU icons is a good idea

(10-30-2018 07:47 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  social media campaigns by some JMU icons is a good idea

Problem with that is at least as of a few years ago many, if not most, of those icons seemingly don't donate to the Duke Club, which would tell me it is unlikely that they contribute on the academic side either.

(10-30-2018 08:25 AM)jmu98 Wrote:  

(10-30-2018 07:47 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  social media campaigns by some JMU icons is a good idea

Problem with that is at least as of a few years ago many, if not most, of those icons seemingly don't donate to the Duke Club, which would tell me it is unlikely that they contribute on the academic side either.

Now's the time for them to donate to whatever they feel like and bring others along with them!

(10-29-2018 03:59 PM)DoubleDogDare Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 02:34 PM)2Buck Wrote:  I think they need to create matching campaigns to motivate folks. Leverage some of those big donations by setting a time limit and putting out a call for donations to be matched by a big donor.

For example, maybe a pool of JMU NFLers start a social media campaign challenging JMU Nation. It'd be great to see a bunch of them coming together, could make all kinds of vids around it. For every dollar donated over the next 48 hours, they'll match it up to "x dollars". Do it over the URI home game weekend, get them and vids at the game rallying the crowd. Their visibility and the strength of their money will turn far more heads than an email or phone call.

Let me fix that...."For example, maybe one of the JMU NFLers, who isn't named Moats, start donating." For full disclosure, this is one year and just DC.

[url=https://jmudukeclub.com/news/2017/1/27/duke-club-features-2016-letterwinner-chapter-members.aspx?path=duke_club_feat]2016 Letterwinner Chapter Members[/url]

Did one actually have to "letter" at JMU to be in that club? I noticed a name on there of a person who never lettered. Played scout team, practiced hard for a year but never sniffed the field. Glad their still involved though.

(10-30-2018 10:36 AM)olddawg Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 03:59 PM)DoubleDogDare Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 02:34 PM)2Buck Wrote:  I think they need to create matching campaigns to motivate folks. Leverage some of those big donations by setting a time limit and putting out a call for donations to be matched by a big donor.

For example, maybe a pool of JMU NFLers start a social media campaign challenging JMU Nation. It'd be great to see a bunch of them coming together, could make all kinds of vids around it. For every dollar donated over the next 48 hours, they'll match it up to "x dollars". Do it over the URI home game weekend, get them and vids at the game rallying the crowd. Their visibility and the strength of their money will turn far more heads than an email or phone call.

Let me fix that...."For example, maybe one of the JMU NFLers, who isn't named Moats, start donating." For full disclosure, this is one year and just DC.

[url=https://jmudukeclub.com/news/2017/1/27/duke-club-features-2016-letterwinner-chapter-members.aspx?path=duke_club_feat]2016 Letterwinner Chapter Members[/url]

Did one actually have to "letter" at JMU to be in that club? I noticed a name on there of a person who never lettered. Played scout team, practiced hard for a year but never sniffed the field. Glad their still involved though.

I'm pretty sure you self register for that. Not sure what level of scrutiny DC admins are doing for it, but being 'on the team' seems good enough to me if it means something to you as an alumni. I mean the DC is in the business of trying to get money and make alumni feel good about JMU. Telling someone to Eff off for claiming a letter they didn't technically get while on the team doesn't seem to fit the narrative.