From the Nominator

"In late 2021, the University of Richmond’s director of donor relations successfully made a case to advancement leadership that there was a void in oversight of the donor gift documentation process, particularly for endowed funds. If addressed by donor relations, it would result in internal efficiencies and an improved donor experience. Long-standing gift documentation challenges included informal and inconsistent review processes, under-utilization of approved templates, and lack of understanding of allowable gift restrictions. With partnership from the senior associate director of donor relations and colleagues in business and finance and financial aid, the director of donor relations laid out a vision for a streamlined digital internal submission and review process and resources and training to address these challenges.    

In July 2022, this vision was implemented. No longer were fundraisers writing their own gift documentation, but instead utilizing a digital submission process that allows for the senior associate director of donor relations to manage drafting and internal review within the same system. The director of donor relations and senior associate director of donor relations also created and presented toolkits for colleagues to reference, which remain easily accessible through the University of Richmond intranet. In the eight months since implementation, we have seen three key benefits. First, our new guardrails protect the institution by ensuring that we accept gifts with legal and practical restrictions and that we document them appropriately. Second, our fundraisers are grateful to have a subject matter expert in donor relations and a deeper understanding of policies that impact their donor conversations. Third, and most importantly, donors have a more consistent and professional gift documentation experience."

From the Judges

By clarifying the issues, reshaping relationships with business and finance partners, and digitizing paper processes (leveraging digitizing tools already available), the University of Richmond gained control of its gift documentation process without extra funding. The streamlining of the internal review process to a few days, consistency in the process, and establishment of a collaborative working relationship with the business office makes for favorable outcomes.