Pandemic altered Development team engagement, but mission remains intact

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Pandemic altered Development team engagement, but mission remains intact

By Annemarie Mountz

For the Penn State College of Education, philanthropic support is not about the size of the gifts given to the college. Rather, it’s about the relationships formed, and the collective impact those gifts have on the success of the college community.

“The professionals that comprise the College of Education’s Development Office are committed to the idea of transformation,” said Steve Wilson, director of Development for the college.

“By enabling our alumni and friends to connect their passions to the needs of our students and faculty, we are helping them to ease financial burdens and transform students into scholars. We are helping them to support innovative research and transform faculty into thought leaders. And we are helping them to transform themselves from donors into benefactors, who come to know the people who are directly benefiting from their philanthropy.”

Wilson said that gift conversations are driven by donors, so that the gifts they make reflect their passions and the kind of impact they wish to create.

Those conversations typically occur in person, over coffee, in their offices or even in their homes, so the life of a development officer typically includes a lot of time on College of Education Development Director Steve Wilson, inset in bottom right, meets with some of the road. With the onset of the his development colleagues via Teams. The group has adapted to using technology to accomplish COVID-19 pandemic, that changed. much of what used to be done in person.

“The biggest shift in office allows them the opportunity to the University’s history.” priorities is to our collective safety. As a development staff, we miss engaging with our alumni, our donors, our students and faculty. As human beings, we miss interacting with our teammates,” Wilson said. “Until COVID-19 is under control, however, we will not endanger ourselves or others by communicate with their donors in real time, and even face-to-face. “We may not be in the same room, but we can ask the same questions, listen with the same interest and share the same mutual excitement,” he said. “The methods may have Penn State’s total commitments from donors in 2019-2020 broke a record, with more than $381 million raised. The College of Education development team also has seen some positives come out of the current situation. gathering or meeting in person. No gift is worth that risk.” Instead, changed, but our objectives and our commitment remain the same.” “I feel the pandemic has proven that even though we are not in an development office setting, we officers and office staff “Both virtual events and virtual visits could are able to continue to successfully are using become more popular or become a preference accomplish our technology to keep for some alumni and donors, who do not have jobs,” said WitheriteZellers. connected. the ability to travel to campus or accept in- “Our team has “Our office has been using person visits.” — Lori Witherite-Zellers successfully engaged our alumni and friends through Zoom, phone virtual events and calls, emails have had impactful and mail to stay connected with our alumni and friends,” said Development Assistant Lori Witherite-Zellers. Across the nation, some universities stopped their development work altogether when the pandemic hit, but Penn State gift discussions with donors through virtual visits. Both virtual events and virtual visits could become more popular or become

“We have changed some of our chose not to pause. a preference for some alumni and stewardship processes to emails donors, who do not have the ability in place of hard-copy letters. I “Our students’ need for to travel to campus or accept inam working from home, except financial assistance did not pause person visits.” for briefly going into our office as needed to check the mail and process any needed paperwork. We utilize Microsoft Office Teams for for COVID-19. In fact, for many, that need increased. Our faculty still need programmatic support,” Wilson said. Regan agrees. “I still believe that there is no substitute for faceto-face interactions, but I have learned that I don’t have to sit in chats and our team meetings.” Wilson said that while those an office in Chambers Building to

Director of Major Gifts Jerry priorities remain, Penn State’s be able to effectively do my work. Regan said he has been using a Office of University Development As long as I have my computer, variety of methods to stay in touch remains committed to addressing telephone and good connections, I during the pandemic. them. can work anywhere,” he said.

“Most of us chose this field “Some organizations feared it Wilson sees another positive. because we are energized by might not be appropriate to discuss “’How are you?’ used to be meeting with people and helping philanthropic commitments at somewhat of a polite, throwaway them make connections with the a time when the world seemed question. These days, however, my University and create some lasting so unstable. Rather than make staff and I are making a point of legacies. Not being able to meet assumptions, however, we decided truly considering our collective wellin person has taken away what simply to ask our donors whether being,” he said. comes most natural in developing relationships, so using technology and the telephone have been our new option to stay connected,” he said. and how they preferred to continue their philanthropic conversations with us,” he said. “Some, understandably, requested a pause. Many, however, “We’re inviting our alumni and friends to share how they’re doing, feeling and coping, and we’re making a point of asking each other the same questions. Life has not

Wilson said that although they were more inspired than ever gone on hold during the pandemic, currently are prohibited from to support Penn State, and their and it’s more important than ever meeting in person, they have found commitment resulted in the most that we take care of ourselves, and that meeting by telephone or Zoom philanthropically impactful year in of each other.”