Fundraising for Scholarships — Bristol’s experiment & investment

Introduction

The University of Bristol is one of the leading institutions among the UK’s Russell Group of universities and operates globally, where it is recognised for its research and academic excellence. The University’s Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) was founded in 1990 and in 2017–18 encompassed 43 FTE staff across engagement, philanthropy and development services.

In 2016, the University of Bristol launched the Sanctuary Scholarship programme. The first of its kind at the University, it extends educational opportunities to people from refugee and asylum-seeking communities by offering scholarships to cover the costs associated with higher education and provides tailored support for students during their studies.

DARO identified Sanctuary Scholarships as a fundraising opportunity following detailed analysis of their supporter population, which identified a potential weakness in an otherwise robust ‘Regular Giving’ programme: the majority of their donors are 45–65 years old and past communications have not been effective in engaging younger alumni. Despite Bristol’s better than average donor retention rates and a high proportion of supporters committing to regular Direct Debit gifts, they understood the urgency to focus on younger alumni in order to build a sustainable future for the University’s fundraising.

The story so far

Using the ‘Mosaic segmentation system’, they created a picture of their younger alumni and what inspires them: they were moved by international humanitarian issues and social justice, making a strong case for the Sanctuary Scholarship programme.

Their campaign consisted of a postcard, short film, and follow-up telephone call in the Autumn telethon, because their analysis showed that a mix of print and digital media, followed by targeted phone calls, would appeal to their younger audience. They told the story of Avin (a pseudonym) and her journey from Syria to Bristol, where she is now studying for an undergraduate degree. The postcard showed an image of Damascus before the conflict began, to focus attention on the fact that the Sanctuary Scholarship programme, and the University, are creating foundations for systemic positive change. Copy highlighted similarities between Avin and other Bristol students, and the difficulties she faced reaching the UK and realising her dream of studying at university.

They also included a personal testimonial from Dr Katie Bales, who is an academic lead on the programme, which underscored the ambition of current Sanctuary Scholarship students and highlighted some of the subjects being studied.

They viewed this campaign as an investment in engaging an audience critical to the University’s future. They wanted to both increase the number of new donors and build relationships more broadly with younger alumni. As they focused on younger people who had not given previously, the driving force was participation rather than income targets.

Specific objectives:

· Improve how they communicate with younger alumni and understand what motivates them to give to their University

· Communicate to younger non-donors that Bristol shares their values and is place for philanthropic opportunity

· Increase the number of donors making a gift for the first time

· Motivate younger alumni to make a gift, demonstrated by a decrease in the average age of new donors and an increase in the number of new donors under 45 years old

· Attract match-funding wherever possible

The film went out by email to approximately 28,000 young alumni, achieving an open rate of 27%. Of these, 10,000 also received a postcard to reiterate the message and direct them to the film. Following this, around 1,900 alumni received a subsequent ask in their autumn telethon. The film was sent again by email in February and a further 860 received an ask in their spring and summer telethon campaigns.

Lessons learnt

One of their key objectives was to engage with non-donors under the age of 45, and to do that they positioned the University differently. They understood that many of their younger alumni feel frustrated and are motivated to change an unjust world, particularly through collective action. They wanted to highlight how their University shares their values of ethical idealism, and establish a belief in Bristol as a place for social progress.

They believed that by doing this, they would secure philanthropic income to support more Sanctuary Scholarships, and ultimately increase their future pool of donors. Feedback indicates that the campaign has been very warmly received.

During 2017–18, 345 alumni made donations to support Sanctuary Scholarships at Bristol, raising £25,590 cash in over the year and substantially surpassing what they achieved in previous large-scale acquisition mailings. With the Direct Debit commitments acquired from the campaign, the total five-year value is £102,875.

Due to the interest generated by this campaign, they attracted a further £30,000 in matched philanthropic funding from alumni and supporters.

They have successfully motivated younger alumni to give in greater numbers than previously seen at the University. The total number of new donors under the age of 45 during 2017–18 was 321, up from 111 in 2016–17.

With an objective to communicate effectively with younger alumni, they were pleased to see the median age of Sanctuary Scholarship donors was 30 years old, compared to a median of 44 years old for new donors in the previous year.

More broadly, the message of Sanctuary Scholarships significantly boosted their new donor numbers overall, many of whom made unrestricted gifts to support Bristol students through a range of initiatives which included Sanctuary Scholarships. New donors in 2017–18 totalled 648, up from 291 in the previous year.

The Sanctuary Scholarship campaign was an experiment and an investment in the future. It has not only met their objectives, it produced an unintended and inspiring consequence: it brought people together from across a range of communities and gave them a unique sense of pride in the University. From senior leadership within the University to members of the public, they received feedback that illustrated the way in which this campaign moved people and created a real feeling of warmth around the University’s fundraising work.

They continue to raise philanthropic funds for Sanctuary Scholarship using the materials we’ve created, as well as spreading the message of the University as a place for social progress. They are proud that the members of the Sanctuary Scholarship working group have been keen to use the film, and indeed they hope to continue to find ways to share the film throughout the University and within their alumni community to raise income for this programme.

Alicia Jago, Head of Regular Giving and Stewardship (Development and Alumni Relations), University of Bristol