BY VALERIE HAWLEY
SOCIAL WELFARE FUNDRAISING
ADVANCEMENT STRATEGY & DONOR ENGAGEMENT
Developed and led a comprehensive advancement marketing strategy that integrated donor engagement, strategic communications, stewardship, and campaign development into the School of Social Welfare's overall growth strategy. By combining audience research, personalized communications, and meaningful donor experiences, fundraising became an ongoing relationship-building effort rather than a series of individual campaigns.
181%
INCREASE IN DONATIONS FOR ANNUAL DONOR CAMPAIGN
1st
INTEGRATED ADVANCEMENT COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
100%
ADVISORY BOARD DEAN'S LEVEL GIVING PARTICIPATION
THE CHALLENGE
KU Endowment's development directors focused on identifying, cultivating, and stewarding major gift donors, while Endowment's marketing team primarily supported university-wide fundraising initiatives. As a result, individual schools lacked dedicated strategic marketing and communications support tailored to their unique fundraising priorities, creating a gap between donor development and audience engagement.
Recognizing this opportunity, the Dean and I made a strategic decision to integrate advancement into the School's marketing and communications function. Rather than treating fundraising as a separate activity, we positioned it as a core component of the school's overall communications strategy, ensuring donor engagement was consistently woven throughout our storytelling, events, campaigns, and outreach efforts.
CONNECTED MISSION TO COMMUNITY IMPACT
Rather than asking donors simply to support the School, communications demonstrated how social work directly improved lives across Kansas and beyond.
Initiatives included:
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Translating faculty research into accessible, community-focused stories.
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Producing newsletters highlighting research, student success, and community impact.
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Developing short-form videos featuring faculty, students, and alumni.
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Demonstrating how donor support advanced research, workforce development, and student success.
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Highlighting scholarship recipients alongside the donors who made those opportunities possible.
By connecting complex research to everyday challenges—including mental health, child welfare, substance use, aging, healthcare, and family well-being—communications helped
PERSONALIZED DONOR EXPERIENCES
Audience research informed personalized engagement strategies for both current and prospective donors.
This included:
Individual donor research and cultivation planning.
Customized meeting materials and leave-behind packets.
Personalized thank-you communications.
Executive briefing materials for the Dean.
Regional alumni and donor events.
Donor appreciation experiences.
Scholarship recognition events connecting donors directly with recipients.
Every interaction reinforced the school's appreciation while demonstrating measurable impact.
Dean's Club Dinner where Coach Bill Self attended
Recognition of Meeting
Note Cards for the Dean to Personalize gifts
Personalized Thank You Letter
Thank You Gift
STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITY
During a review of donor communications, I discovered that planned giving donors were largely absent from annual stewardship efforts.
Because these donors had often made commitments through estate plans rather than annual gifts, they were not appearing on standard fundraising lists. As a result, many received little to no ongoing communication despite making significant future commitments to the school.
To address this gap, I established a stewardship approach that ensured planned donors continued receiving personalized communications, invitations to events, and recognition for their long-term investment in the school's future.
This simple process change strengthened relationships with an important donor segment that had unintentionally been overlooked.
Led Integrated Fundraising Campaigns
I directed the School's communications strategy for One Day. One KU, developing campaign messaging, managing creative assets, coordinating social media throughout the day, promoting matching gift challenges, and creating annual campaign themes.
To increase participation, we introduced a collectible series of donor appreciation t-shirts while maintaining a focused fundraising message around a specific school priority each year.
Results
Integrating advancement into marketing created a unified, relationship-centered fundraising strategy that aligned donor communications with the school's mission and strategic priorities. Through audience-focused storytelling, personalized stewardship, and coordinated engagement across every stage of the donor journey, fundraising became more intentional, donor relationships deepened, and long-term engagement became an integral part of the school's communications strategy.
Increased
Strategic Alignment
Expanded
Donor Engagement
Expanded
Long-term Stewardship
Strengthened
Donor Relationships
