FundSvcs Community

An occasional donor is starting an endowed scholarship with $25K (the minimum to start one) in honor of his parents. There is already one in the grandparents' names. Our current Annual Fund appeal isn't doing very well, and some in the office want to assign the AF Appeal Code to this gift. To be fair, the donor did receive this appeal in the mail, but it would have been within a very few days of the donor notifying us of his intention to fund a scholarship. When he received a thank-you phone call, he was asked if he had received the Appeal in the mail (he had), and that is why I'm supposed to assign the AF Appeal to this gift. This just feels wrong to me, and I'm not chuffed with the ideal of making the Appeal look as if it did much better than it actually did. There has been no Solicitor involved, no one asked him to fund the scholarship. In your shop, are Appeal Codes simply assigned "to the area of greatest need?"

------------------------------
Sherrel Battles
Data Resource Coordinator
Christian Theological Seminary
sbattles@cts.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/22/2022 3:50:00 PM
From: Sherrel D. Battles
Subject: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

An occasional donor is starting an endowed scholarship with $25K (the minimum to start one) in honor of his parents. There is already one in the grandparents' names. Our current Annual Fund appeal isn't doing very well, and some in the office want to assign the AF Appeal Code to this gift. To be fair, the donor did receive this appeal in the mail, but it would have been within a very few days of the donor notifying us of his intention to fund a scholarship. When he received a thank-you phone call, he was asked if he had received the Appeal in the mail (he had), and that is why I'm supposed to assign the AF Appeal to this gift. This just feels wrong to me, and I'm not chuffed with the ideal of making the Appeal look as if it did much better than it actually did. There has been no Solicitor involved, no one asked him to fund the scholarship. In your shop, are Appeal Codes simply assigned "to the area of greatest need?"

------------------------------
Sherrel Battles
Data Resource Coordinator
Christian Theological Seminary
sbattles@cts.edu
------------------------------

I am with @John H. Taylor on this.  Adding this appeal code to this gift is misleading, as it will possibly artificially inflate the performance of the appeal.  The fact that this is done intentionally is egregiously disingenuous and inauthentic. Unfortunately, the gift will not fix the fact that the appeal may not be performing well, and if personnel decisions are made of the performance of the appeal, it can lead to pressure to make decisions like these. 
​

------------------------------
Dariel Dixon
Manager of Gifts and Records
North Carolina Central University
ddixon62@nccu.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-22-2022 03:09 PM
From: John Taylor
Subject: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

This feels disingenuous.  Bordering on unethical.

If the donor had been asked, "Did you make the gift now because of the appeal," and they had responded yes, then I would feel differently.

But let's not make things up to make an appeal look better.  Honestly, we use appeal codes to track the performance of appeals.  If this appeal is not doing well, okay.  Learn from that and try to avoid the timing or tone of the appeal.

John

John H. Taylor

Principal

John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC

2604 Sevier St.

Durham, NC   27705

johntaylorconsulting@gmail.com

919.816.5903 (cell/text)

Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987

Original Message:
Sent: 6/22/2022 3:50:00 PM
From: Sherrel D. Battles
Subject: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

An occasional donor is starting an endowed scholarship with $25K (the minimum to start one) in honor of his parents. There is already one in the grandparents' names. Our current Annual Fund appeal isn't doing very well, and some in the office want to assign the AF Appeal Code to this gift. To be fair, the donor did receive this appeal in the mail, but it would have been within a very few days of the donor notifying us of his intention to fund a scholarship. When he received a thank-you phone call, he was asked if he had received the Appeal in the mail (he had), and that is why I'm supposed to assign the AF Appeal to this gift. This just feels wrong to me, and I'm not chuffed with the ideal of making the Appeal look as if it did much better than it actually did. There has been no Solicitor involved, no one asked him to fund the scholarship. In your shop, are Appeal Codes simply assigned "to the area of greatest need?"

------------------------------
Sherrel Battles
Data Resource Coordinator
Christian Theological Seminary
sbattles@cts.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/23/2022 11:08:00 AM
From: Dariel Dixon
Subject: RE: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

I am with @John H. Taylor on this.  Adding this appeal code to this gift is misleading, as it will possibly artificially inflate the performance of the appeal.  The fact that this is done intentionally is egregiously disingenuous and inauthentic. Unfortunately, the gift will not fix the fact that the appeal may not be performing well, and if personnel decisions are made of the performance of the appeal, it can lead to pressure to make decisions like these. 
​

------------------------------
Dariel Dixon
Manager of Gifts and Records
North Carolina Central University
ddixon62@nccu.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-22-2022 03:09 PM
From: John Taylor
Subject: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

This feels disingenuous.  Bordering on unethical.

If the donor had been asked, "Did you make the gift now because of the appeal," and they had responded yes, then I would feel differently.

But let's not make things up to make an appeal look better.  Honestly, we use appeal codes to track the performance of appeals.  If this appeal is not doing well, okay.  Learn from that and try to avoid the timing or tone of the appeal.

John

John H. Taylor

Principal

John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC

2604 Sevier St.

Durham, NC   27705

johntaylorconsulting@gmail.com

919.816.5903 (cell/text)

Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987

Original Message:
Sent: 6/22/2022 3:50:00 PM
From: Sherrel D. Battles
Subject: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

An occasional donor is starting an endowed scholarship with $25K (the minimum to start one) in honor of his parents. There is already one in the grandparents' names. Our current Annual Fund appeal isn't doing very well, and some in the office want to assign the AF Appeal Code to this gift. To be fair, the donor did receive this appeal in the mail, but it would have been within a very few days of the donor notifying us of his intention to fund a scholarship. When he received a thank-you phone call, he was asked if he had received the Appeal in the mail (he had), and that is why I'm supposed to assign the AF Appeal to this gift. This just feels wrong to me, and I'm not chuffed with the ideal of making the Appeal look as if it did much better than it actually did. There has been no Solicitor involved, no one asked him to fund the scholarship. In your shop, are Appeal Codes simply assigned "to the area of greatest need?"

------------------------------
Sherrel Battles
Data Resource Coordinator
Christian Theological Seminary
sbattles@cts.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/24/2022 9:42:00 AM
From: Aaron Forrest
Subject: RE: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

Are folks ever counting endowment gifts toward annual fund operating cash? We do not do that.

 

 

Aaron Forrest CPA

Senior Director Gift and Donor Services

University of Rochester Office of Advancement

585.275.2799 | aaron.forrest@rochester.edu

 

Original Message:
Sent: 6/23/2022 11:08:00 AM
From: Dariel Dixon
Subject: RE: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

I am with @John H. Taylor on this.  Adding this appeal code to this gift is misleading, as it will possibly artificially inflate the performance of the appeal.  The fact that this is done intentionally is egregiously disingenuous and inauthentic. Unfortunately, the gift will not fix the fact that the appeal may not be performing well, and if personnel decisions are made of the performance of the appeal, it can lead to pressure to make decisions like these. 
​

------------------------------
Dariel Dixon
Manager of Gifts and Records
North Carolina Central University
ddixon62@nccu.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-22-2022 03:09 PM
From: John Taylor
Subject: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

This feels disingenuous.  Bordering on unethical.

If the donor had been asked, "Did you make the gift now because of the appeal," and they had responded yes, then I would feel differently.

But let's not make things up to make an appeal look better.  Honestly, we use appeal codes to track the performance of appeals.  If this appeal is not doing well, okay.  Learn from that and try to avoid the timing or tone of the appeal.

John

John H. Taylor

Principal

John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC

2604 Sevier St.

Durham, NC   27705

johntaylorconsulting@gmail.com

919.816.5903 (cell/text)

Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987

Original Message:
Sent: 6/22/2022 3:50:00 PM
From: Sherrel D. Battles
Subject: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

An occasional donor is starting an endowed scholarship with $25K (the minimum to start one) in honor of his parents. There is already one in the grandparents' names. Our current Annual Fund appeal isn't doing very well, and some in the office want to assign the AF Appeal Code to this gift. To be fair, the donor did receive this appeal in the mail, but it would have been within a very few days of the donor notifying us of his intention to fund a scholarship. When he received a thank-you phone call, he was asked if he had received the Appeal in the mail (he had), and that is why I'm supposed to assign the AF Appeal to this gift. This just feels wrong to me, and I'm not chuffed with the ideal of making the Appeal look as if it did much better than it actually did. There has been no Solicitor involved, no one asked him to fund the scholarship. In your shop, are Appeal Codes simply assigned "to the area of greatest need?"

------------------------------
Sherrel Battles
Data Resource Coordinator
Christian Theological Seminary
sbattles@cts.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/22/2022 3:50:00 PM
From: Sherrel D. Battles
Subject: should this gift get the Annual Appeal Code

An occasional donor is starting an endowed scholarship with $25K (the minimum to start one) in honor of his parents. There is already one in the grandparents' names. Our current Annual Fund appeal isn't doing very well, and some in the office want to assign the AF Appeal Code to this gift. To be fair, the donor did receive this appeal in the mail, but it would have been within a very few days of the donor notifying us of his intention to fund a scholarship. When he received a thank-you phone call, he was asked if he had received the Appeal in the mail (he had), and that is why I'm supposed to assign the AF Appeal to this gift. This just feels wrong to me, and I'm not chuffed with the ideal of making the Appeal look as if it did much better than it actually did. There has been no Solicitor involved, no one asked him to fund the scholarship. In your shop, are Appeal Codes simply assigned "to the area of greatest need?"

------------------------------
Sherrel Battles
Data Resource Coordinator
Christian Theological Seminary
sbattles@cts.edu
------------------------------