12 minute read
Authenticity & Impact
VICE PRESIDENT FOR PHILANTHROPY AND ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT JAKE LEMON SITS DOWN FOR A Q&A TO DISCUSS HIS VISION FOR GIVING AT UK.
By Kel Hahn
“When it comes to food, my kids have a 35-year-old’s palette,” says Jake Lemon with a laugh. “We got them eating Indian, Thai and other spicy foods at a young age. My 11-year-old son, Nixon, will order stuff not on the menu that makes Thai servers say, ‘Where did you hear about that?!”
Lemon’s remark came in response to a question regarding how his two children, Aubrey and Nixon, have adjusted to life in Kentucky since moving here from Connecticut last summer.
Bottom line: If they could adapt their taste buds to prik nam pla before enrolling in middle school, then getting accustomed to life in the Bluegrass has been a breeze.
Adaptable and resilient — two indispensable traits for someone in Lemon’s shoes. In May 2023, he assumed the role of vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement at the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining UK, Lemon had led the UConn Foundation as president and CEO, served as senior vice president for development at the University of Connecticut and led development efforts at Florida State University.
“Jake’s proven track record — and the feedback we received from the search committee and throughout interactions with faculty, staff and leadership on our philanthropy campaign council — only reinforced my decision to ask Jake to join our team in this important leadership position,” said UK President Eli Capilouto during the announcement of Lemon’s hire.
Just a few weeks before he completed his first year at UK, we sat down with Lemon to get his perspective on UK’s mission to strengthen the Commonwealth, relationship-building with donors, UK’s passionate fan base and much more.
KH: What attracted you to the University of Kentucky? What made you think, “This is a university on the rise”?
JL: I looked at it in two ways: personally and professionally. On the personal side, I have family and friends spread throughout the Southeast. Although we loved our time in Connecticut, it was difficult to get back to family and friends. This location made a lot of geographical sense. This past spring break, we were able to drive to Orange Beach, Alabama, where I vacationed as a kid. I have so many memories of great times there and was glad to live close enough to share it with my family.
Professionally, throughout the interview process, it was made very clear to me that this university is on an upward trajectory. UK has had significant enrollment growth, which addresses the Commonwealth’s workforce needs; and the healthcare side has grown with reference to research into cures. But I was also drawn to the university’s commitment to the Commonwealth. Everyone has bought into the idea that we need to do more for Kentucky. As we do that, we’re going to make a difference in the world through our research priority areas (RPA). The discoveries that come out of our work for Kentucky are going to have a ripple effect around the world because UK is a global brand.
Many years ago, I wrote down my five core career values and then thought about what my ideal university would look like. After interviewing here, I knew UK aligned with all five. I said to my wife, Tiff, “This is it.” After my second visit to campus, I didn’t have any doubts about taking the job — and I still don’t.
KH: Now that you’ve been in this role for a year, what has surprised you about UK and its supporters?
JL: What I’ve come to experience this past year is that UK is a university with a soul.
First, I was surprised by the passion of our students around philanthropy, specifically, DanceBlue. To see our students come together, advocate, lead and raise those kinds of dollars — that’s not happening around the country, and we should be proud of that.
Also, I knew about UK’s commitment to the Commonwealth, but I didn’t know it was so focused and so bold. I’ve never been part of a university where non-alums have as much passion about this university as alums, but it’s true: people who care about Kentucky care about the University of Kentucky.
And this is a university that is aligned on its mission and priorities. We know why we’re here. We know what we’re doing. We know the reason behind it. It creates consistency around messaging so we’re all telling similar stories.
Finally, I understand passionate fan bases. I’m an Ole Miss alum and I worked at Florida State; but I can tell you that from a basketball perspective, Big Blue Nation is second to none. It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of that this year. One thing that’s been incredible is that my wife and kids are really into it. They went to all the football games. They tailgate. They know the players. My 13-year-old daughter follows social media and tells me which football players are in the transfer portal. I heard the news that UK hired Mark Pope to be the men’s basketball coach from her. They love going to basketball games. It didn’t take long — just one year — but we are Kentucky fans in a huge way. I’d just rather UK not play Ole Miss in football.
KH: The university completed its Kentucky Can: The 21st Century Campaign in October of 2023. What was it like for you to witness the successful completion of that massive effort?
JL: Selfishly, the timing for my arrival was great. As the campaign wrapped up, I saw so much excellence already in action. It gave me a lot to build upon, and I could applaud everyone who had worked so hard to meet the campaign’s $2.1 billion goal.
Campaigns are special. They allow us to tell our stories more loudly, and in a way that resonates with others. Campaigns bring awareness to the impact we’re making on the Commonwealth, our country and the world. The campaign is over, but that doesn’t change what we do. It’s our job to engage as many people as possible with our work, build authentic relationships and ultim offer opportunities for individuals and corporations to invest philanthropically and make an impact. We’re continuing that important work post-campaign.
KH: What are the university’s current philanthropic priorities?
JL: I mentioned earlier UK’s focus on strengthening Kentucky. One important aspect of that is workforce development. On the healthcare side, we have a national shortage of healthcare professionals — doctors, nurses, technicians, therapists and so on. So, we’ve started construction on the 500,000 square foot Michael D. Rankin MD Health Education Building, which will significantly increase enrollment in the Colleges of Medicine, Public Health, Health Sciences and Nursing. The building will be impressive, but it’s not about the building; rather, the building will let us aggressively target those workforce needs now and into the future.
President Capilouto says all the time that UK’s doors will always be open widest to Kentuckians. That means we need to raise more money for scholarships. That, too, takes aim at workforce development issues; more Kentuckians coming to UK means more skilled workers staying within the Commonwealth.
We also need to treat and heal as many Kentuckians as we possibly can. Again, President Capilouto says no Kentuckian should ever have to leave Kentucky to receive access to quality patientcentered care. In 2023, the Markey Cancer Center was awarded “Comprehensive Cancer Center” status, which is the highest level of recognition awarded by the National Cancer Institute. In April, we held the groundbreaking for a new Markey Cancer Center facility that will increase access to Kentuckians. Through investment from the state, significant fundraising efforts and UK’s own investment, we’re putting our money where our mouth is by taking on these projects.
KH: We talk a lot about student success at UK; how do we know that donors’ gifts actually make a difference for our students?
JL: When a donor is investing in LEADS scholarships, we can quantify that their gifts not only alleviate students’ financial burdens, but also improve their graduation rates. We are industryleading as it relates to having an evidence-based, data-informed approach to awarding scholarships to statistically improve retention rates and graduation rates. I’m blown away by this. To me, it’s a proven return on philanthropic investment.
The work in the Office of Student Success, led by Kirsten Turner, has shown that retention and graduation rates begin to steeply decline when a student reaches $5,000 or more in unmet need. Since implementing the LEADS scholarship program, we’ve seen graduation rates significantly increase. That’s been the result of this evidence-based scholarship award system. So, it’s a straightforward story to tell, and all of us at UK should be proud to tell it.
KH: What makes the donor experience such that they enjoy (or look forward to) giving to the university? How is your office striving to create such an experience for donors?
JL: Our goal is to provide clarity about the impact that they’re making. I’ve been part of lunches where first-time donors got to meet the students on their scholarships. We took their idea of what’s going to happen with their money and made it palpable for them. It’s powerful. Our task is to take that personal experience and scale it to more people. That’s one of the major initiatives we’ve launched this year — revamping and providing more resources to our stewardship and donor relations department.
We have amazing, loyal and consistent donors, and I believe that as we pour more effort, energy, focus and resources into how we’re stewarding their gifts and demonstrating their impact, we’ll see new donors coming to the table and satisfied donors signing on to make an impact now and into the future.
KH: Do you believe people want to be generous?
JL: I believe that, deep down, everyone wants to be generous; they just might not know it yet. I’ve spent 21 years in this industry and some of the most generous people I’ve met happen to be the most joyful and peaceful people to be around. And I think that their joy and peace come from giving. I don’t think they give because they’re happy; I think they’re happy because they give. In fact, often the donor receives more joy from making a gift than the recipient of their generosity.
KH: As UK’s chief philanthropy officer, you make substantial asks for transformative gifts. How do you connect with people?
JL: I think all people appreciate authenticity. Donors at this level pretty much demand it. They don’t want to be sold anything. They want to be invited in a transparent and authentic way to make the world a better place. So, I’ve always strived to connect with people authentically. I think I’m the same person at work, at home and with my friends. I’m intentional about that, and that’s always been the way I connect with donors.
The best way to connect with a donor is to remember that it’s not about you. You’re the relationship conduit between them and the impact the university is striving for — you’re in the middle. You’re building the relationship in a professional way on behalf of the university to fulfill its philanthropic mission. When someone slips into the mindset of, “If I become better friends with you, you’re going to give more,” it always ends in a mess. Always.
KH: Philanthropy is largely the result of relationships; how does technology support UK’s philanthropic mission?
JL: Technology can help point us in the right direction. It can help us create efficiencies and help us scale. But at the end of the day, nothing will ever take the place of authentic, transparent relationships.
KH: What keeps you positive and motivated when you encounter setbacks?
JL: Whenever you hit an obstacle, I think it’s important to take a grateful step back. Every challenge you go through thickens your skin and creates a resilient spirit, so at this point in my life, I bounce back quickly.
Sometimes the way we’d hoped to partner with a donor doesn’t work out — they’re not interested. That’s OK; we’re blessed to be part of a university that is so vast and comprehensive and has so many ways to make the world a better place. When things are tough, sometimes you have to look around and say, “Look what we get to do! We get to meet these incredibly interesting people. We get to go on a relationship journey with them and learn how they want to make the world a better place. What a special role to play in someone’s life!” On top of all that, we get to do this important, fulfilling work in this beautiful state of Kentucky, and in this fantastic city of Lexington with its incredible food and irresistible culture. What could be better than that? ■
