A record-breaking year for donations to PSU brought in $15.7 million, but to some, this is just the beginning. While a 22 percent increase over the previous year is certainly noteworthy, Françoise Aylmer, vice president of University Advancement, sees the increase as a stepping stone toward future gift totals.
A record-breaking year for donations to PSU brought in $15.7 million, but to some, this is just the beginning. While a 22 percent increase over the previous year is certainly noteworthy, Françoise Aylmer, vice president of University Advancement, sees the increase as a stepping stone toward future gift totals.
Alymer joined PSU last year and brought with her a clear vision for the future of private donations to the university.
The office has undergone several changes that Aylmer believes will, moving forward, set the bar higher for giving. The revamping efforts include a departmental name change, new systems for managing timelines and targeting donations, and the utilization of predictive modeling to determine who, out of 132,000 alumni, will increase the donor base.
A simple alteration of the actual definition of “major gifts” could be seen as the most significant change. Previously a major gift was any amount greater than $10,000. Aylmer initially raised that figure to $25,000, and it is now set at $100,000. She explained that once she started thinking more clearly about her goal, she became more focused.
Kristin Coppola, vice president of Major Gifts, believes this new target number is more in line with what university peers are seeking.
Coppola said that the greatest change has been a shift in focus. Donations are being strategically targeted to meet student needs, academic needs and the overall vision of the university. “In the past, we didn’t always do a good job of connecting donors to the story of where [their] money will go,” Coppola said. That has now changed.
Coppola explained that donors are making an investment because they believe in PSU students and are able to see first-hand how the university is serving Portland.
Aylmer’s long-term goal is to prepare the institution for a more sustainable future with regard to private gifts, which will help to offset continually reduced state funding. The aim is to have a specific portion of the budget come from private donations, and according to Aylmer, “the donors want to make a difference and it shows; it comes through in the giving.”
Aylmer attributes the successful fundraising measures to President Wim Wiewel, noting that he is diligently working to get the university much-deserved recognition and that the donors are responsive to his efforts.
If you ask around the office, people are also attributing these tremendous successes to Aylmer.
University employees dealing with major gifts can feel the difference. Stacy Barker, a prospect management specialist, said, “I think we have a lot of momentum in the community. This is an exciting place to be right now.”
Daniel Napolitano, a reporting analyst agrees: “I feel very fortunate to be here and to see the direction we are heading. We can actually see the difference we are making in the lives of the students and in the city as well.”
