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TO: Board of Directors FROM: Dennis Cheng, Director of Development & Philanthropy RE: Development Update for December 11
th
Board Meeting DATE: December 7, 2012 The Development Department began the year with five main goals:
Build a stronger and more disciplined fundraising team
Assess and refine our overall fundraising operation and priorities
Design a more diversified, structured, and sustainable long-term strategy and plan
Improve cooperation and coordination of donor outreach and fundraising strategy among all of our initiatives
Craft a comprehensive plan for building an endowment Below is a summary of our accomplishments to date:
Fundraising Overview
As of 12/6/12 Projected EOY # of Donors Events
$12,660,110 $14,000,000 2049
General/Annual
$7,475,723 $8,000,000 633
Online
$1,073,754 $1,500,000 12215
Direct Mail
$414,851 $500,000 5633
Total: $21,624,438 $24,000,000 20,530
(50% first-time)
As of today,
over $21.6 million
has been raised for unrestricted operating funds. We are on track to
exceed $24 million
by the end of the year. These figures do not include revenue from CGI, CPC, WJC speeches, or other sources.
Over
20,530 individuals
have donated to the Foundation this year– approximately
50% are first-time givers
.
Gift Level Total # of Donors
Under $250 17,454 $250-$999 1,013 $1,000-$9,999 566 $10,000-$99,000 285 $100,000-$499,000 29 $500,000+ 7
A list of all donors who contributed $100K or more is attached.
Fundraising Events
We held 18 fundraising events this year, fewer than previous years given the President’s campaign schedule during the second half of 2012. Events still represent our single largest source of donations – but it is critical that we focus on diversifying our fundraising with other more sustainable revenue streams. Some event highlights from the year include:
The Foundation’s first-ever charity poker tournaments were held in New York City this spring and in Los Angeles this fall. Combined, they raised over $3.1 million, event costs were less than 4% of total revenue, and 2/3 of the donors were first-time givers.
Four Millennium Network events held in DC, London, Chicago, and LA introduced over 3,000 young professionals to the work of the Foundation and raised over $1 million.
A fundraising evening in DC that included a dinner at Whitehaven raised over $1.4 million, primarily from Clinton Administration alumni.
The Development Department is soliciting conference sponsorships for the first time to support our 2013 Health Matters conference and the new CHMI initiative. To date, we have secured over $1.1 million in new sponsorship revenue and we expect to build on this moving forward.
Last month, we held our Annual Retreat for our major donors in Little Rock for the first time. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and led to a cost savings of approximately $200,000 by moving the retreat from Aspen to the CPC.
Monthly Giving
There are 1,119 monthly donors in our “Giving Circle” program, who collectively bring in $33,485 per month ($401,820 annualized). 417 new monthly donors joined the “Giving Circle” in 2012.
Planned Giving
Since our planned giving program was launched in 2010, 46 individuals have indicated to the Foundation that they are leaving us a planned gift. Of the 46 individuals, 12 have informed us of the amount we should expect to receive. The stated value of those 12 pledges ranges from $1,000 to $1,100,000 and total $3,675,000. General wisdom is that for every person who informs the charity about their planned gift, another seven people do not; we only learn about them when the estate “matures.” Since 2005, the Foundation has received bequests from 9 supporters who have passed away totaling $247,142. I expect our planned giving outreach and program to grow significantly in the next few years, as bequests will play an integral role in building an endowment.
E-Mail List Growth
Our e-mail list of approximately 700,000 subscribers has grown by over 20% so far this year. A large number of new subscribers were generated by cross-promotional emails sent by campaigns and political committees that President Clinton supported this year. For example, a recent DSCC and DCCC emailed signed by Chelsea has already resulted in over 88,000 new subscribers and $164,015 in donations.
Rebuilding the Development Team
When I started at the Foundation last year, I inherited a department of 5 employees. Since then, I have worked to build a more dynamic and results-driven team with strong experience in both political and non-profit fundraising. 3 of the original employees were terminated or left voluntarily and 7 new members were recruited, with the last two joining last month. The department is now comprised of 9 employees, and I am confident that we are entering 2013 with a more effective and focused team.
New Annual Giving Program:
Clinton Foundation Ambassadors
A more sustainable fundraising structure must include revenue streams that are less reliant on the President’s time and schedule. This fall, we launched the Foundation’s first-ever annual giving program entitled
Clinton Foundation Ambassadors
designed to target annual donors who commit to giving $1,000 and more. Ambassadors receive special benefits based on their giving level.