Trishina Moitra

Emanuel Nneji
Principles of Public Relations
15 December 2020

Executive Summary

Fundraising remains a critical function for alumni relation programs at universities.

Alumni contribute to a significant portion of a university’s efforts to expand, create new

programs, and increase enrollment. At Worcester State University, the fundraising department

has done a good job in creating initiatives to raise money. For example, in 2017 the university

raised $17 million over a 5-year fundraising campaign. The Change Lives Campaign originally

included a $15 million goal, of which they exceeded it by $2 million. More than 7000 donors

contributed to the success of this 5-year campaign. This campaign marked the largest in

Worcester State Foundation’s history. In general, Worcester State Foundation has seen its

endowment increase from $15 million to $26 million since the start of this campaign. This has

allowed the school to increase the number of scholarships, research grants and awards to students

by 50 percent. For example, 62 new scholarship funds were created, leading to $1.8 million in

funds for students. The breakdown for the campaign included $6.3 million in total for

scholarships, $6.3 million for academic support, $1.8 million for capital projects and equipment,

and $2.4 million for mission support (Claffey 1). Part of the rapid increase in fundraising support

is due to the increase in social media. The alumni relations network can now reach alumni

directly through platforms such as LinkedIn, direct text messaging, Instagram, Facebook, etc.

This has had a profound impact on increasing donations to Worcester State University. Public

relation professionals, specifically in the fundraising department should make use of social
media because it has led to increases in fundraising for universities. While social media can also

have its pitfalls, the advantages are plentiful for the simple reason that you can reach whatever

consumer you intend to reach or in this case a specific alumni you are hoping to reach. Perhaps

an alumni just sold his company for a great profit, as a social media user you can target him and

ask for a generous donation.

Statement of Purpose

Public relation programs at universities can use social media to cultivate effective

fundraising campaigns. In a study conducted by Facebook for fundraising purposes, 704 non-

profits were analyzed in Omaha Gives 2015. Using linked administrative and social media data,

researchers found that fundraising success, which can be measured by the number of donors and

value of donations was positively associated with a nonprofit’s Facebook page. This includes the

number of likes the page has, the number of posts, and the audience engagement, such as the

number of shares. Budget size, credibility, and program service area also played a pivotal role

(Bhati 2019). The Covid-19 Pandemic also effectively changed how schools need to approach

fundraising. With many students forced to leave campus and people with stingier budgets,

alumni are naturally less reluctant to donate. Thus, alumni relations within universities have to

reinvent themselves, along with fundraising professionals. Relationship building is a primary

function of alumni relations but due to Covid-19 there was a lack of face-to-face interaction and

networking events. Via a short term study, researchers observed how alumni relations offices

communicated to alumni during the pandemic. They gathered evidence from 75 universities

across 16 countries via social media posts. The results showed that the top schools were able

connect with alumni by exhibiting four key themes. These themes included sharing, caring,

daring, and snaring. With more schools switching to an online-only model for the foreseeable
future, alumni relations networks will need to become more in-touch with social media to reach

alumni for donations (Gallo 2020).

Situation Analysis

Worcester State University excels in many areas on social media. In terms of Facebook,

the official page boasts over 12,000 followers and likes, with nearly 70,000 people who have

checked in. The university has established credibility in many areas. They also have over 6000

followers on Twitter. The social media teams post constantly with engaging content. Thus, when

Worcester State University posts social media messages regarding fundraising, the reception is

strong. Some weaknesses of Worcester State University’s fundraising initiatives via social media

is that they are relatively a smaller school, with a smaller endowment fund. Their efforts in

fundraising from the corporate side might get drawn out from the bigger schools in the

Massachusetts area. This presents an opportunity to create a niche market for fundraising by

targeting alumni and people in the immediate community. With the direction of the public

relations team, the school can hold fundraising activities on campus when it is safe to return and

promote it on their social media channels. Finally, the threats that Worcester State University

face are that Covid-19 has affected fundraising efforts and grassroot efforts. However, this is a

threat that has affected all schools, but it makes it that much harder to fundraise for the smaller

schools.

Situation Analysis: Competitors

Nearby schools in Worcester such as the College of Holy Cross have much larger

endowment funds. The College of Holy Cross boasts an endowment fund of $760 million.

Likewise, Clark University in Worcester, MA has over $100 million endowment fund
(Clark.edu). Both of these schools raise more money than Worcester State is able to do, mostly

because Worcester State is a state school. Finally, University of Massachusetts Amherst has a

$347 million dollar endowment fund. Thus, Worcester State College’s endowment fund of under

$30 million does not even compare to other schools nearby. For alumni relations, this does not

make a huge difference, but for corporate donations this makes a huge difference in advancing

the school’s donation efforts.

3 Key Publics

Worcester State University must expand their social media reach and increase their endowment

fund. They have made good use of social media for fundraising but they can take it one step

further.

Plan 1

Demographic variables- Promoted social media posts targeting upper income levels

Psychographic variables- Targeted posts to upper social class

Plan 2

Demographic Variables- Networking event for recent graduates to raise funds

Psychographic Variables- Make specific networking events for certain industries, such as

finance, sports management, accounting, etc.

Plan 3

Demographic Variables- Reach out to new homeowners for donations

Psychographic Variables- Attract those alumni who are married and looking to start a family to

attract a specific attitude on giving back.

Conclusion
 Worcester State University has done a good job via fundraising, but there is room to

expand. Via social media and public relations efforts, the school can increase their endowment

fund, which in turn will increase the influence of the school overall.

Works Cited

Bhati, A., & Mcdonnell, D. (2019). Success in an Online Giving Day: The Role of Social Media

in Fundraising. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 49(1), 74-92.

doi:10.1177/0899764019868849

Claffey, D. Worcester State Raises Nearly $17 Million in 5-Year Fundraising Campaign. (2017,

October 20). Retrieved December 15, 2020.

Clark University surpasses $125 million fundraising goal: Clark Now: Clark University. (2019,

May 30). Retrieved December 15, 2020, from ClarkNow

Gallo, M. L. (2020). What did Alumni Relations during the COVID-19 Lockdown look like?.

ICAReAlumni Conference Proceedings, (2). https://doi.org/10.34630/.vi2.3747