October 13, 2021
Hello Stewies! October is an exciting month. Pumpkins are making their way to our porches and the temperature is dropping, but Georgia football is hotter than ever. As the leaves begin to turn beautiful shades of orange, we can’t forget our upcoming rivals whose oranges aren’t so beautiful (I’m looking at you, Florida and Tennessee). And of course, let’s not let Kentucky make us blue this weekend (I’m looking at you, Ariel Waldeck)!
Donor Relations has been busy putting the finishing touches on our fall stewardship, including the Presidents Club Reception, Financial Endowment Reports, special Thanksgiving initiatives, and our rescheduled Team Stewardship taking place on November 18th. I’ve said this before, but my team and I cannot wait to see you safely in person again. We have so much to share and celebrate, and we are incredibly grateful to do that together with our Team Stewardship family once again.
Until then, GO DAWGS, Happy Halloween, and THANK BOO for all you do!
TONY STRINGER SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DONOR RELATIONS AND STEWARDSHIP
Donor Relations & Stewardship Terry College of Business
Celebrating Generations of Support Howard, Ed, and Larry Benson have supported UGA through private giving, corporate support, mentorship, volunteerism, and community engagement. Thanks to many of you, Larry was presented with a lifetime impact report in early October during a development visit with Terry College of Business. The Benson Family impact book included messages from alumni, friends, President Morehead, Kelly Kerner, Terry College, 4-H, SPIA, Libraries, Fanning Institute, Botanical Garden, Annual Giving, Athletics, Medical Partnership, and more. We are thankful for everyone who shared photos and messages for this special stewardship touch. These types of reports would not be possible without your collaboration.
For more information, reach out to Melissa Lee.
School of Public & International Affairs
SPIA Stewardship Successes In celebration of the 20th anniversary of SPIA, the school created a “20 for 20” giving campaign. Donors can set up a recurring monthly donation of $20 throughout 2021 to provide continual support to the programs, causes, and/or funds of their choice at SPIA. Supporters of the “20 for 20” campaign are recognized online as members of SPIA’s 20th Anniversary Honor Roll and they receive a special commemorative thank you gift, which includes a postcard with a donor magnet.
On September 10th, SPIA launched their 6th annual Giving Day. Laura Bayne designed a postcard and a sticker that was sent as a thank you gift to every donor. The postcards included a hand written thank you message from their student ambassadors. Donors who gave $100+ received a generic video of the student ambassadors saying thank you. For donors who gave $500 or more, SPIA sent a personalized ThankView video.
As a unique thank you gift, SPIA has been sending donors who have just had a baby a “Future SPIA Bulldog” onesie. For donors who have a dog, they have been sending a collapsible SPIA-branded dog food bowl. These gifts have been a fun, thoughtful way to steward their donors!
For more information, reach out to Laura Bayne.
Donor Relations & Stewardship
Hoard First Tee Memorial Golf Tournament and Scholarship What started as a gift of $25,000 from a life insurance policy, the Hoard First Tee Memorial Scholarship has grown to almost $400,000 in a span of nearly ten years.
Created in memory of Ed Hoard, a rules official and golf professional at Athens Country Club and the UGA Golf Course, the scholarship assists graduates of the First Tee Program at UGA. An annual golf tournament was also conceived as a way to continue to honor Ed and raise funds for the scholarship beyond the initial gift.
September 24, 2021, marked the 9th year for the tournament. Lauren Schlesinger and a scholarship recipient attended to share information on the impact that the tournament makes on the scholarship fund. This resulted in additional gifts and a better understanding of what the tournament does for UGA students.
For more information, reach out to Lauren Schlesinger.
Welcome, Baby Stewies!
Congratulations, Kate and Michelle! We are thrilled to announce that Kate Lovin and Michelle Versfeld both welcomed baby stewies into the world last month! Annie Marie Lovin was born on September 9, 2021, weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Charlize Anne Versfeld was born on September 21, 2021 weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces. Congratulations to these proud parents!
Presidential Stewardship
2021 Honor Roll of Donors The printed version of the FY21 President’s Annual Report was dropped in the mail on October 5th. Recipients should receive their copies this week. The online version of the President’s Annual Report will be sent by MARCOMM on October 14th.
For more information, reach out to Calli Choe.
Reporting
Financial Endowment Reports A huge thank you to each school, college, and unit for taking the time to carefully review your endowed funds. This project would not be possible without your dedication to stewardship and the collaboration that you showed throughout these past few months. Data is being finalized and will be sent to the printer soon. Reports are scheduled to be mailed mid-November.
2021 Trustee Philanthropy Report UGAF Board of Trustees were presented with a report outlining their collective giving impact during the 2021 fiscal year at their fall meeting in early October. Thanks to Olivia Engesser, we received a report of giving, pledges, and planned gifts made by trustees. This information was presented in charts outlining the units and priorities that gifts supported.
Sharing with boards their collective giving impact is a way to celebrate wins and identify areas that may need more support.
Scholarships
Gratitude Reports: Collecting Thank You Messages As a friendly reminder, please share scholarship recipient contact lists with Lauren Schlesinger. This will allow us to begin the gratitude questionnaire collection process.
ThankView Scholar Introductory Video Message We are now offering units the ability to request an introduction video at the same time as their gratitude questionnaire request. Donor Relations will provide a very short and simple script for recipients to use, which makes this an easy task for them to complete. If your unit is interested in adding this to your gratitude questionnaire request, please reach out to Lauren Schlesinger.
Events
Presidents Club Reception The Presidents Club Reception will be held on Friday, November 5th at Tate Grand Hall. Invitations were sent electronically on October 7th. Due to the special circumstances surrounding this year’s reception, please know that staff invitations will be limited to School/College/Unit Directors of Development and those who meet the giving criteria. Also, student involvement will be greatly reduced at the event. These important measures will help us pull off a successful event while providing more space for our guests in the venue.
Stewardship & Engagement
Game-Watching Parties Saturdays this Fall | 30-60 Minutes before Kickoff To find game-watching parties, click here. For more information, reach out to Sarah Sonenberg
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Homecoming Tailgate October 16, 2021 | 3 hours prior to kickoff New College Lawn on North Campus (between the Chapel and New College)
Presidents Club Reception November 5, 2021 | 5-7PM Tate Center - Grand Hall
Heritage Society Tailgate November 6, 2021 | Time TBD Zell B. Miller Learning Center, Colonnade
Submit your upcoming event to this list here.
Meetings & Professional Development
Development Meeting October 18, 2021 | 9-11AM Ramsey Hall, Performing Arts Center
Division Meeting November 15, 2021 | 10AM-Noon Tate Center - Grand Hall
Team Stewardship November 18, 2021 | 11AM-2PM The Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum at the Center for Art and Nature
UGA Stewardship Overview We take pride in transparency. You can see what we are working on by visiting the new web version of our Stewardship Overview. If you have suggestions about the website or have an interest in including your unit’s recognition strategy in our matrix, please reach out to Melissa Lee.
Do you have news to share in the next issue? Reach out to Caitlin Lacey! Development and Alumni Relations Donor Relations and Stewardship Quarters B | 100 Spear Road Athens, GA 30602
Caitlin Lacey Donor Reporting Coordinator Team Stewardship is an internal professional development community for stewardship professionals at the University of Georgia. You received this newsletter because you are a Development and Alumni Relations employee or you have been identified as a "Stewie" due to your role as an administrative, development, or external affairs professional who writes acknowledgements, creates donor communications, or coordinates donor recognition and events.
If you are no longer in a stewardship position and no longer need to receive these newsletters, please reach out to Melissa Lee.
For more information on Team Stewardship, visit Donor Relations and Stewardship.
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