Internationalisation is a key strategic focus of the University, serving to enhance its profile and reputation, increase the research ability of the institution and add to the graduate skill set of students at all levels. An international focus also helps to pave the way for ambitious international fundraising efforts that encourage philanthropic support for the highest priority projects within the University.
The University has traditionally received loyal support from South African donors and alumni and our donor relations fundraising strategy serves to deepen existing relationships and attract further partners nationally. However, finding additional international resources will make it possible for us to implement a wider range of priority projects that seek to find solutions to local and global problems. At the end of 2017, 87% of our donors were national and 13% international.
Various drivers influence our international fundraising strategy. Key is the global location of our alumni – who remain connected to their alma mater, are often leaders in their fields, can serve as ambassadors for the University and sometimes make introductions within their donor communities. Another factor is the whereabouts of our existing donors and those institutional partners with whom the University has bilateral agreements.
Our international fundraising strategy strives to utilise not only these institutional collaborations in key countries but also the many research collaborations and academic relationships that exist between SU academic and professional staff and international partners.
Stellenbosch University is not as well known in some global locations as several of our local counterparts, due to our more recent evolution from an institution focused on teaching and learning to one that has research excellence at its core. Therefore, raising our international profile is an important part of our fundraising focus, particularly but not limited to, countries where we have historical and cultural links. What people think and believe about one’s institution can also add to the challenges. That is why it remains important to provide the audience with an accurate story of transformation, build good relationships within the international donor community and showcase the University’s various social impact and research projects.
'A long-term investment'
What does SU do that is special? What do we do better than our South African and global counterparts? Showcasing the University’s unique value proposition plays a critical part in laying the groundwork for international fundraising. It is important to highlight our strong innovation, research and excellence offering as well as our partnerships and impact on the Continent. International donors are interested in regional impact, networks, scalability and replicability. Highlighting high-calibre internationally recognised thought leaders at SU is key to paving the way for fundraising in an international context.
It is a good time to focus thought and resources on international fundraising for SU as global philanthropy is on the rise. Furthermore, giving to public higher education institutions is appealing to both individuals and institutional donors due to the availability of information on governance structures as well as the broad range of possible projects and recipients.
International fundraising is a long-term investment. In particular, it takes multiple interactions with international institutional donors, typically over several years, to yield dividends. However, once an institutional donor has made a first grant and is happy with the stewardship thereof, it is highly likely that more grants will follow and of increasing amounts – usually to a range of different projects.
Individual donors are often successful entrepreneurs who believe that higher education played a key role in their success. Individual donors do give back to their alma mater but not exclusively. What can be a more important factor is the impact of the work of the University project.
The new generation of family trust philanthropists are more globally oriented than their parents were, another opportunity for SU in our research of prospective donor prospects internationally. Sometimes hidden in donor umbrella organisations, in other cases requiring direct and time-consuming involvement with grant beneficiaries, donors increasingly do not need to have had a previous association with the University.
International fundraising can be very rewarding but there are a lot more resources (including prospect research expertise, partner and network relationships, money, time) required to find, court and engage such donors than their counterparts closer to home. Personal relationships and visits are key to all fundraising, again more challenging logistically in an international context.
During 2017, fundraisers visited our international alumni and the larger donor community in more than 20 cities across 10 countries. Interactions with a multitude of local and targeted overseas embassies yielded significant engagement opportunities during fundraising trips to London, the Netherlands, Belgium and Singapore in 2017. The recent appointment of three fundraising and alumni representatives for SU - in New York, London and Brussels – will greatly assist in our international fundraising efforts going forward.
Granted, there are many potential challenges to international fundraising… from basic cultural sensitivities and etiquette, to a current conservatism in the global political context, to organisational readiness and available resources to travel. However, the rise of global philanthropy presents multiple opportunities for our modern South African University to diversify our funding base and to help raise the international profile of Stellenbosch University at the same time.