Oxford University Gazette
Philantropic Funding:
University Development Office
Newsletter
Supplement (3) to Gazette No. 4410
Monday, 30 September 1996
Contents of the supplement:
To Gazette
No. 4411 (3 October 1996)To
Gazette Home Page
The Development Office hopes to be providing a regular
update on its work to all members of Congregation through the
Gazette. The aim is both to report on important
developments as well as to explain how the Development Office
functions and to illustrate its services.
Function within the University
At the end of the Campaign for Oxford the University decided
that philanthropic fund-raising needed to become an on-going
activity. Thus the Development Office is now an established part
of the University's administration with a half-time senior
academic President, currently Professor Andrew Goudie (who is
also a Pro-Vice-Chancellor), who was appointed for a three-year
term from January 1995. The fund-raising team is headed by a
Director (Dr Jill Pellew), who as an officer of the central
administration reports to the Registrar, and works closely with
the President. Their offices are in Wellington Square
(telephone: (2)70224). The rest of the Development team is
accommodated in a large, open-plan office on two floors in
Oxenford House whose entrance is in Friars' Entry.
The Development Office's work programme is derived from
academic needs, prioritised by the General Board and legitimised
through Hebdomadal Council approval. Non-academic aspects are
not a matter for the General Board but are approved by Council.
This programme is published. Copies, containing the names, work
remit, and contact numbers of the development team are always
available to members of the University. The President and
Director are advised on day-to-day issues by an informal
Development Programme Management Group (DPMG), normally chaired
by the Vice-Chancellor, and including the Chairman of the
General Board, the Registrar, Director of Research Services, and
Director of External Relations. The DPMG refers matters of
substance to Council.
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Underlying principles of the
Fund-Raising Programme
The following objectives underpin the current programme
[relevant projects are in brackets]:
- Establishing new facilities for the development of
areas of inter-disciplinary research. [School of
Management Studies; Ashmolean Research Centre for the
Humanities; Institute for American Studies; St Cross
Site.]
- Promoting first-class library resources as a crucial
underpinning to a university of the stature of Oxford.
[Bodleian library, and all above-mentioned
projects.]
- Endowing new academic initiatives. [Chair in
Mathematical Biology; Lecturership in Korean Studies;
Centre for the Ageing Brain, etc.]
- Endowing a postgraduate scholarship fund in order to
provide access to the most able students. [PG
Scholarship Endowment Fund.]
- Enabling Oxford to play an important role as part of a
new alliance of distinguished European universities.
[Posts for the Institute for European
Studies.]
- Promoting co-operation and mutual support of University
and colleges in fund-raising in order to maximise both
external financial interest and to sustain joint posts.
[Fund-raising programme for Law.]
- Bringing academic central facilities to a standard
appropriate for a world-class university. [Sports
programme: hockey; swimming pool.]
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The Development Team
Raising funds for this programme is the responsibility of a
relatively large international team: thirty-two in Oxford;
twelve in New York; two in Tokyo and one in Korea. Sixteen of
these are front-line fund-raisers (`development executives').
They are responsible for managing either a portfolio of
projects, or for covering a `prospect sector', such as
corporations or trusts and foundations. They maintain close
liaison with the academics concerned with the projects. They
work to identify prospects whose interests might coincide with
the University's needs, often working with volunteers who wish
to help Oxford and who are able to provide a useful
entrée. The Development Executives provide the
staff back-up required to inform those capable of providing
support for the University about its requirements and to
facilitate their becoming benefactors. These front-line staff
are backed by support staff whose work includes maintaining a
highly sophisticated database; researching world-wide sources
of potential funding; running an effective direct marketing
programme; thanking all donors; and managing all sources of
income and the Development Office budget. Additional functions,
which include the management of events, the provision of alumni
services, and publicity, are undertaken by the External
Relations Office, with which the Development Office works
closely.
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The Development Office Database
The heart of the Development Office is its database, which links
all the above activities and is in constant use by the
Development Executives. At the moment the database software
which was installed at the start of the Campaign is being
replaced with a new system (known as `Alms' and produced by
Westwood Forster). It will link the Oxford and New York data
and, together with e-mail, will provide a first-class service
for the office. It has major implications for University-college
integration and joint activity, and also for services which the
Development Office could offer university users generally. In
the long run it could help to reduce the overall cost of
fund-raising in Oxford. Discussion about this new software has
already taken place at meetings of the Development Forum
(Oxford's Development Officers Support Group). It is taking time
to install which is currently affecting the speed of our regular
exchanges of data with colleges, but it is hoped to complete the
installation before the end of Hilary Term 1997.
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University/College Co-Operation
A new body, the Committee for Co-ordination of University and
College Fundraising, met for the first time in July. This has
grown out of the Vice-Chancellor's Working Group, set up in July
1995, and it is hoped that it will provide a high-level forum
for the development of University/College co-operation in
fundraising and for the resolution of any problems. Meanwhile,
it hoped that the protocols for approaches to various prospect
sources, worked out between the university and college
representatives on the Vice-Chancellor's Working Group last
year, and to be discussed by the Conference of Colleges, by
colleges individually and by Council during Michaelmas Term,
will form the basis of a good working relationship between
University Development staff and those concerned with
fund-raising in colleges.
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National Lottery
The Development Office is often consulted about the National
Lottery. This relatively new institution distributes funds to
`good causes' through five different channels:
- The Millennium Commission will provide
funding for capital projects deemed worthy of marking
the Millennium. Partnership funding required is 50 per
cent of the cost of the project. The final date for
submission of proposals is 11 November 1996 with a
prior registration date of 16 September.
- The National Heritage Lottery Fund
(administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund)
supports a wide variety of heritage projects. Bidding
is arranged in a series of rounds. Partnership funding
required is now 25 per cent (except for `small
grants'). Co-ordination of proposals, through the
Development Office, is essential because only a certain
number will be considered each time. Thus far there
have been two applications: the Ashmolean has
successfully obtained a grant of £560k to secure
Canova's Ideal Head. The Museum of the
History of Science has applied for a grant to build a
modest extension.
- The Sports Council's Lottery Fund
provides funding for sports projects. It is currently
considering a major application towards the University
swimming pool project.
- The Arts Council Lottery Fund provides
funding for the fine arts and for performing arts.
- The National Lottery Charities Board
provides funding for non-statutory organisations. University
research teams may be eligible if they apply in partnership with
a sponsoring charity for a project that meets the criteria for
that particular bidding round. (Criteria change for each round.)
General Board approval for all University academic proposals
must be obtained. The Development Office should be contacted in
the first instance.
These bodies periodically produce useful guidelines which the
Development Office has on file. It is not always easy to obtain
general advice on the telephone from their staff; but once a
proposal has been submitted, a case officer is appointed and is
the point of reference. For further information about the
National Lottery please consult Mr Paul Dryden (telephone:
(2)78463).
Another note about the Development Office will be published
in the Gazette later in the term. Meanwhile,
Professor Goudie and Dr Pellew are happy to respond to queries
about Development Office matters.
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