Strategic Plan for University Development
Mission
The mission of University Development is to grow and broaden philanthropy on behalf of Grand Valley State University. With students at our center, we will increase the total dollars raised by pursuing investments that mobilize generosity in new ways and recognize a greater number of participants as philanthropists.
Vision
University Development is an agile and flexible team leading the way toward Grand Valley State University's collective vision through the power of philanthropy. Our team tells compelling stories about Grand Valley that inspire donors to support student success across a lifetime of learning. We foster donor engagement in the work of the university to empower a prosperous and equitable future for every member of our community.
Values Statement
- Partnership - Starting from within our own team, University Development prioritizes the importance of respect for all, integrity, listening, and building meaningful relationships. We extend those values of true partnership to our university and community partners.
- Equity - We are on a journey to elevate all voices in our division and diversify our stakeholders to reflect the growing diversity in our student population. We are working to close equity gaps and strengthen pipelines focused on the diverse, emerging community around us.
- Commitment to Excellence - We are committed to excellence as we work toward the goals of the university. We hold ourselves to a high standard of customer service, attention to detail, transparency, and responsibility to our stakeholders.
- Adaptability - We are a team of creative problem solvers who see opportunities where others may see obstacles. We are flexible, adaptable, and take risks when the situation calls for it.
Planning Process
- University Development began our current strategic planning process with an all-division planning session on June 7, 2022. During this session, areas for improvement and focus were generated and 13 priority strategies were identified.
- During fiscal year 2023, five of these strategies were elevated for special attention. Workgroups gathered from across the division were formed, with regular meetings throughout the year. Outcomes were reviewed and success was celebrated at the July 2023 division meeting.
- Four of the five strategic priorities were successfully accomplished to the point that they were reabsorbed into the regular work of the team(s) responsible for the area.
- In July 2023, the University Development leadership team met to identify new and/or continuing areas of focus for fiscal year 2024.
- Once again five areas were identified - with four being new, and one continuing from the FY23 process.
- Each workgroup has again been drawn from various teams throughout the division with regular meetings scheduled throughout the fiscal year.
- We expect this process to continue through 2025 when we will revisit our overall plan.
Collaboration
We have prioritized the creation of cross-divisional collaborative workgroups to progress specific strategic goals and have integrated regular progress on those goals into divisional meetings, and performance reviews. All staff are expected to participate in our work toward strategic priorities. Throughout our strategic planning process, we have extended invitations to workgroup members outside of our division, and have collaborated with staff in Seidman College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Alumni Relations, the Career Center, and Inclusion and Equity to ensure participation and input from stakeholders across the university.
Building Capacity
Over the past year, University Development has undertaken an entire division restructuring to better align with the needs of the university and our key stakeholders and to better advance our strategic priorities. In addition to creating cross-team collaborative workgroups to advance our priorities, we have allocated resources toward the advancement of strategic goals. One example of resource allocation aligned with strategic priorities includes our FY23 goal to build stronger partnerships with academic units and colleges. This work was supported by the creation of the new role, Senior Director of College Advancement. A new staff member has joined that team at a Manager level, and a current posting is live for an Associate Director of College Advancement who will hold dual reporting lines to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and University Development.