|
|
|
|
Subj: Alumni
Association Leadership Update - January 2004 This is just in from George Watt, the President of the Alumni Association. The email follows:
Leadership Update
January 2004
From all of us at the Alumni Association and Naval Academy Foundation, may we wish each of you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The past few months have been busy ones for the staff and our volunteers. In December alone we conducted the fall Alumni Association Board of Trustees meeting (for more information go to http://usna.com/About/BOT/2003/Dec/PresReport.htm and http://usna.com/About/BOT/2003/Dec/Summary.htm ); we experienced an important victory over Army that brought the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy back to the Naval Academy (see the January–February Shipmate cover and my President’s Call); and then we joined up in Houston with several thousand members of today’s Brigade and our own Extended Brigade as Navy participated in the Houston Bowl against Texas Tech. Although we finished second on the gridiron, we finished first in the hearts and minds of the midshipmen, alumni and friends in attendance. We may have been in the Red Raider’s backyard, but the atmosphere was pure Navy Blue and Gold. As you will read in our January–February Shipmate article, this event was about more than football. We brought to bear the talents and assets across the Alumni Association, Foundation, Athletic Association, Superintendent’s Office, Commandant’s Office, and Brigade of Midshipmen to focus on one objective: To represent the U.S. Naval Academy to the nation as we recruited, educated and informed thousands of advocates for the USNA. I wish all of you could have been there with us. We offer special thanks to those individuals, chapters and classes who purchased and donated tickets back to the Brigade. Thanks to you, over 2100 members of the Brigade were able to attend (and to march on Reliant Field on national television). It was an incredible experience.
On now to this edition of Leadership Update. I’ll start with the status of the Leaders to Serve the Nation Campaign. However, I also want to share some information regarding online giving; the Annual Report; a Membership drive; a new affinity program for members; and a communications update.
The Comprehensive Campaign
The United States Naval Academy Foundation has raised more private gifts and pledges for the Naval Academy and the Brigade of Midshipmen in the past three years than in the previous 155-year history of the Academy combined. The selfless philanthropy of alumni, parents and friends continues to unite us in our mission to support the margin of excellence at the Naval Academy. The Leaders to Serve the Nation Campaign continues to exceed our expectations. Although we are only two and a half years into the public phase of the Campaign, our public goal of raising $175 million has now become a significant milestone. As of December 31st, total commitments to the campaign are $175.5 million, thus slightly exceeding the original Campaign goal, two years before the Campaign deadline. More donors, and class organizations, are engaged than ever before. 2003 was also a record fund-raising year as we exceeded $34 million in gifts received (cash and stock) from our individual, corporate and foundation donors. This is a 22% increase over last year’s $28.3 million. Recent accomplishments and milestones include:
ˇ Dedication of Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ˇ Groundbreaking for the Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel ˇ Renovation and expansion of the Robert S. Crown Sailing Center (to be formally re-dedicated in Spring 2004) ˇ Dedication of new squash courts at Halsey Field House ˇ Unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund totaled slightly more than $7 million, thus meeting the 2003 goal. ˇ Membership in President’s Circle, our most prestigious donor society, exceeded 1,000 members for the second year in a row.
Although the $175 million goal was the most visible objective of the Campaign, another important goal for the Foundation Board of Directors and the Campaign Executive Committee (CEC) is to assure that all the Academy’s current strategic priorities are funded. Therefore, there is a strong need to increase the Campaign gift goal in order to fully meet those original priorities, including completion of fundraising to finance the renovation of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (approximately $10MM more to go), bolstering private support of those initiatives within the Academy’s Leadership-Character Excellence priority and sustaining annual, unrestricted gift support. Much has been accomplished, but we have much still to do. Therefore, the Campaign will continue in earnest. The Foundation’s board is reviewing a proposal from the CEC regarding an increase in the public goal. Whatever we announce, we will assure it is strategically aligned to the needs of the Naval Academy.
As we look forward to the next 24 months of the Campaign I see several opportunities for the staff-volunteer team:
ˇ Maintaining our current fundraising momentum as we move past the original $175 million goal ˇ Sustaining, and possibly increasing, unrestricted donations. These gifts are critically important to the overall success of meeting the mission of the Naval Academy Foundation. In addition to offering complete flexibility to the Superintendent in meeting needs inside the Yard, unrestricted gifts also provide the necessary leverage in raising money for specific projects and in funding strategic and mission-critical programs at the Alumni Association and the Foundation Athletic & Scholarship division. ˇ Broadening the base of donors, including (and in particular), our more junior alumni and recent graduated classes. I think it is useful to remember that we do not seek equal giving, but we do seek equal commitment. Developing (and stress testing) a sustainable fundraising infrastructure that will remain viable and relevant long after the Campaign is completed. Excellence is a moving target and therefore the Naval Academy will continue to require our assistance in funding the margin of excellence for many years to come.
Online Giving
We are pleased to announce that all of our constituents are now able to make a gift via the internet in a timely and secure manner at http://www.usna.com ! The site [http://www.usna.com/Foundation/OnlineGiving/OnlineGiving.htm] went live in early January and for the first time provides an avenue for our alumni, parents and friends to electronically participate in the Annual Fund. Gifts received through the Annual Fund support both the Academy and mission-critical activities of the Alumni Association and Foundation. Many member benefits and services, from Career and Travel Programs to lifetime email, from the website to Class, Chapter, Parent Club and reunion support are made possible by support of the Annual Fund. Annual Fund gifts are unrestricted in nature, meaning the donor places no restrictions on the use of his or her gift.
2003 Annual Report
Our CFO/Treasurer, Hank Sanford, is working on developing a new look Annual Report. It will include this year’s financial highlights as well as the full audit report from KPMG. This will enhance our capability as good fiduciaries and stewards of the dollars sent here by donors and members. It is critically important that you, our volunteer leadership, have real time access to this information – look to receive it sometime in the next month.
Membership Update
The Alumni Association closed out 2003 with just over 49,300 total members (with more than 43,200 Life Members now on our rolls). Our new corporate membership program has been a huge success with 25 members in that category. We still have our eye on a stretch goal of achieving a total membership of 60,000 by 1 January 2006. As mentioned several times before, we require your help if this goal is to become a reality. Membership is a privilege, but in my mind it is also a responsibility. Terry Murray, COO, is working closely with Dan Lear and his membership committee in designing a new national membership drive. You will be hearing more about that and the volunteers willing to lead it over the next few weeks and months. If we are to remain an important, relevant and impactful organization (relevant to all of our constituents, including the Naval Academy) then we must grow. I look forward to your support in this endeavor.
Affinity Programs
An important part of our strategic vision and plan at the Alumni Association is to provide value added goods and services to our alumni and members while assuring we subtract no financial value from the organization (this is a reminder of our goal of achieving financial prowess and independence). This means we are always on the lookout for quality, value-added programs that allow us to offer our membership unique opportunities that address their unique status and importance. We shop the marketplace for partners and programs so that we can offer our members great opportunities of interest to them. Because our membership is so large and diverse, we look for a variety of programs that will serve every segment of our membership. Whether on active duty, in the private sector or enjoying retirement, we try to build a varied catalog of special programs and services to offer our alumni members. Our vetting process for potential partners is very strict. We seek unique programs not offered by every other affinity group, with features that will appeal to members and offer them value for their dollar. We want partners with stellar reputations in the marketplace, because attaching our name to theirs is always a risk, even if just a small one. We want partners who will nurture our partnership for the entire time of the relationship, not just for a short time after signing a contract with us. Our affinity partners typically return a royalty back to the Alumni Association in return for the opportunity to market to our alumni. Therefore the relationship is designed to have value for both sides involved. Customer service and support are key. We want partners who will give our alumni the first class service they deserve. We look for all these things in our partners, and we hope that you will agree that so far we have met the mark.
Our newest affinity partner, joining us in January 2004, is Washington Mutual Home Loans. An industry leader in residential home loans both for new purchases and refinancing, Washington Mutual is one of the nation’s leading lenders – holding one out of every seven mortgages in the U.S. Washington Mutual Home Loans is the largest mortgage provider in the U.S.; offering loans in all 50 states. They are a proven industry leader to creating fast and simple ways to apply for a home loan, both over the phone and online. Our program will allow members to apply for loans and get an up front approval in as little as 10 minutes, often with greatly reduced paperwork and forms. Washington Mutual loans have fast no cost approvals, reduced closing costs and faster closings. There is no origination fee, no credit report fee, and our program saves a member an additional $350 off closing costs. Washington Mutual customer service is world class and supported by a staff of more than 26,000 people nationwide. For these and many other reasons, we feel this will be a superior program for our alumni. To learn more, please visit http://www.usna.com and click on Products and Services.
Communications Update
We are very pleased that after reviewing over 100 résumés for the position of Associate Director, Communications/Managing Editor Shipmate, we have made an offer to Ms. Debbie Beck, and she has accepted. Debbie comes to us from Allegheny Energy where she was General Manager, Corporate Communications. Her 17 years of experience in communications, with the last 14 at Allegheny, will be a great add to the USNA Alumni Association and Foundation communications team.
Shortly we will be taking the next step in our effort to provide more focus on the front end of the magazine – features – so that Shipmate remains relevant and aligned to our mission. As announced at the recent Council of Class Presidents meeting, we will be asking the Corresponding Secretaries to pick up more of the editing and proofing load on their columns. One of our objectives in making this process change is to see if we can further reduce cycle time so that the columns will be timelier. We can then concentrate on the feature articles alumni said they would like to see, such as articles from midshipmen and faculty that describe what life is like today within the Yard. Over the next several months we will make subtle changes to the magazine’s appearance while retaining the important content our alumni want and expect, including class notes.
Summary
I had the opportunity to see, listen and talk to many of you in the fall. The senior leadership team and I will continue to seek every opportunity to keep the lines of communication open between us and our volunteer leaders. I have three pieces to my vision for our Alumni Association and Foundation as we enter 2004. Although I plan to provide more information about each of them as we meet in class, chapter, board and fund-raiser forums over the next few months, for now, let me give you the high level view as I close out this edition of Leadership Update.
Strategically, and in harmonious partnership, we will:
From friend-raising to fundraising, the Alumni Association and Foundation enterprise continues to make tremendous strides every month. Our staff works hard to assure our future success, but we also rely heavily on our main constituents, our alumni. You are our greatest strength.
Please stay tuned for further announcements regarding the Alumni Association and Foundation in the next few weeks. I plan on sending out our next Leadership Update in late March or early April. Until then, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.
Go Navy!
G.P. Watt, Jr. President & Chief Executive Officer USNA
|
|
**************************************** |
|
|
*** Central Region: |