Update from Advancement and External Relations Senior Vice President Katie Fraumann

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

As we usher in the new year, I would like to extend warm wishes to all the incredible members of our DePaul University community. I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones and are gearing up for a great winter quarter!

I am delighted to share some developments in the Division of Advancement and External Relations that underscore our dedication to advancing DePaul’s Vincentian mission and continuing the important work laid out in our Designing DePaul philanthropic road map. 

We are excited for our annual Blue Demon Challenge (BDC) on Wednesday, Jan. 31, a fundraising effort that raises millions of dollars in 24 hours.

This year, our goal is to have 3,500 donors participate. Every single person makes a huge difference during BDC, unlocking millions of dollars in challenges that aid students, academics and athletics and support a variety of programs throughout DePaul’s colleges and schools. We encourage faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and friends to spread the word about BDC and make a gift at challenge.depaul.edu on Jan. 31.

Another way to support projects throughout DePaul is through our crowdfunding site, InspireDePaul​. DePaul faculty, staff and registered student groups are eligible to use this platform to raise funds for DePaul-related projects. 

InspireDePaul is a great resource when modest funding is needed. Check out the InspireDePaul website and consider starting a crowdfunding campaign for a project that is near and dear to you.

I am also pleased to announce some structural developments that will enhance the Division of Advancement and External Relations’ collaborative work with DePaul’s schools and colleges.

We have successfully piloted a pod system that provides structured Advancement support for the Driehaus College of Business. We are now expanding the effort and launching pods for each of DePaul’s colleges and schools.

In each pod, a team of experts from the Advancement division will create and execute an Advancement plan for their unit, solicit ideas and feedback from their unit’s dean and leadership and pursue projects that will result in better cultivation and stewardship of college-specific opportunities. This specialized partnership model will improve communication channels and unleash talent, ideas and approaches in fresh, imaginative ways.

Our Advancement team is working with faculty to discuss fundraising ideas and priorities. To provide valuable insights into our fundraising efforts, we will be launching Designing DePaul philanthropy educational sessions for the university community. 

Sessions will be held in February and March for faculty and staff in all of DePaul’s colleges and schools, as well as university-wide sessions. In the meetings attendees can learn how fundraising, campaigns and feasibility studies work; consider what makes ideas attractive to donors; and discuss opportunities to fundraise for transformative programming at the university. Please be on the lookout for an announcement regarding educational sessions in the upcoming weeks.

We are excited to see these ideas and more come to fruition. May the coming year be filled with success, growth and joy for the entire DePaul community!

Sincerely,

Katie Fraumann

Senior Vice President

Division of Advancement and External Relations