Eduventures Development Learning Collaborative
The Eduventures Development Learning Collaborative (DEV-LC) is a member-based research consortium designed to help colleges and universities improve the functioning of institutional advancement and fundraising processes. The DEV-LC provides insight and direction to identify best management practices, benchmark performance, and improve these core processes through research, analysis, and networking opportunities.
The DEV-LC provides Collaborative Research, Custom Analysis, and opportunities for interactions with our analysts and decision-makers at peer institutions. Research is organized into six themes: annual giving, campaign planning and management, development services, development strategy and organization, individual and institutional giving, and staff management.
Recent and upcoming Collaborative Research topics include:
Transitioning Donors to Higher Gift Levels
Eduventures’ research on transitioning donors focuses on identifying the cultivation strategies and donor motivations that can accelerate donors most quickly to a higher gift category. The research, incorporating multiple sources of data, including profiles of approximately 1,300 donors, generates an integrated view of foreground and background touches and an understanding of the ways in which donor cultivation strategies need to vary by donor segment and type. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the demographics, giving history, and the overall cultivation timeline for different segments of first-time major gift donors. Chapter 2 focuses on the blend of engagement strategies used with each donor segment (e.g., personal visits, event attendance, and volunteer roles, plus phone, mail, and e-mail contacts) as well as the timeline of cultivation. Chapter 3 features scenarios about donors’ motivations for giving and diagnostic tools for gift officers to use when qualifying and cultivating first-time major gift prospects.
Managing Returns on Staffing and Budget Investments
Every development organization faces the question of how to determine appropriate staff and budget allocations in a way that maximizes returns for the institution. For the 2008 Collaborative Research initiative, Eduventures will develop a data set across the membership of staffing levels and budget investments by functional and fundraising area. The study will generate a dashboard of operational metrics to help development organizations evaluate their resource allocations and support efforts to identify effective ways of structuring and growing fundraising programs. The benchmarking survey will also examine staff roles and responsibilities, to understand the underlying causes of differences in resource allocations.
Upcoming reports based on Managing Returns on Staffing and Budget Investments include:
- Analysis of Overall Staff and Budget Investments
- Staff Responsibilities and Organizational Structure of Service Areas
- Analysis of Investments in Fundraising Areas
- Case Examples of Effective Resource Investments
- Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations
Examples of past topics covered by Collaborative Research include:
- Success Factors for the High-Performing Gift Officer
- Measuring Gift Officer Performance
Some examples of topics covered by Custom Analysis include:
- Annual Giving: Increasing Participation
- Online Donor Access to Giving History: Lessons Learned
- Funding Mechanisms for Development Operations
- Effective Strategies for Building and Sustaining Donor Relationships in Emerging Programs
- Workplace Engagement: Employee Motivation and Satisfaction
Please contact us to explore how membership in the Eduventures Development Learning Collaborative can help you make better, more-informed decisions.