West Virginia Wesleyan College
A Case Study: Development Audit
About the client:
Founded in 1890, West Virginia Wesleyan College is firmly rooted in the traditions of liberal arts education and the United Methodist Church.
Context:
Similar to many small, private colleges, West Virginia Wesleyan College has faced institutional pressures in finances and fund raising. In 2006, the college hired a new president and in 2007 hired a new vice president of advancement. Additionally, it faced the challenges associated with completing funding for existing priorities while strengthening its advancement office. As the first step to success, West Virginia Wesleyan College partnered with Johnson, Grossnickle, and Associates (JGA) to conduct a development audit as a basis for the strengthening of its advancement program.
Project objectives:
The objectives of the development audit were to measure the degree of understanding and consensus about fundamental advancement issues and goals that exist among the college’s advancement staff; evaluate the college’s positioning and readiness to meet its fundraising challenges; and create recommendations for future directions for the advancement program, which would help make it possible for West Virginia Wesleyan College to proceed strategically and sequentially as it grows its advancement program.
JGA approach:
JGA embarked on a development audit, which resulted in quantitative analysis of the past five years of development statistics, an outline of findings based on interviews and analysis by JGA, and a series of recommendations.
JGA’s recommendations were extensive and aimed high. The keys to success for the college were clear articulation and prioritization of the college’s needs by its leadership and a reorganization of the advancement office. JGA suggested changes in advancement that would better clarify its functional purposes, enhance communication among staff, and better structure it to meet the challenges the college was facing.
As part of the advancement office transformation, a staff retreat was recommended to help team members erase inefficiency caused by personal turmoil. Best practices were also considered as JGA focused on the need for better database management practices and improved prospect identification and qualification. The audit did not focus on the advancement office alone, but called on the president of the college as well as the board to make fundraising and solicitation a priority. All of the recommendations were meant to create a culture of success in West Virginia Wesleyan College’s advancement offices, transforming them into places where meeting goals and succeeding was the norm.
Outcomes:
West Virginia Wesleyan College put in the hard work required to transform its advancement office. Since completion of the development audit, the college’s president, vice president and trustees have remained committed to implementing its recommendations, positioning the institution for significant fund-raising success. This includes a clear articulation of its institutional fund-raising goals to all constituents; reorganizing its advancement office; instituting best practices; and the college has been methodically laying the groundwork for a major comprehensive campaign in its future.