Philanthropy update: Runway to campaign launch

​​Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

On behalf of the Division of Advancement and External Relations, I hope you’re all enjoying a lovely and restful sum​mer! As we welcome the Class of 2024 to the alumni family, kick off a new fiscal year, and look forward to students returning to campus in the fall, I’d like to share some updates about how we are helping DePaul design its future and empower philanthropy through intentional connection.

The outpouring of generosity from DePaul’s community of donors continues to inspire us. In fiscal year 2024, our division raised more than $58 million in support of our students and the university. From our major gift donors to those who endow scholarships to the thousands of members of the DePaul community who help fund their passions at the university, it’s clear that our philanthropic engagement mirrors the Vincentian mission upon which our compassionate institution is built.

As we approach the launch of our comprehensive philanthropic campaign, Advancement has initiated a three-pronged strategy to define the goals and priorities for the campaign.

We are working on reviewing our division’s infrastructure, conducting top-level interviews with a selection of highly engaged donors, and surveying a randomized population of donors and non-donors.

If you have received a request to complete the survey, please fill it out at your earliest convenience! All individual results will be anonymous, and it will help us to form the foundation for the upcoming campaign. Once we have completed the full feasibility study this fall, we, in collaboration with partners across campus, anticipate using our findings to develop specific case statements for each of our academic units.

We’re happy to report that Advancement has conducted a number of unit-specific and campus-wide information sessions to help educate colleagues about our work, share avenues for collaboration, and get to know our academic and administrative partners better.

We will provide updates throughout the year on how campus partners can continue to engage with us most effectively.

Part of this ongoing collaborative outreach will include consulting with members of the recently formed Faculty Campaign Advisory Committee. This new initiative reflects the interdisciplinary focus emphasized in the Designing DePaul road map, and it will facilitate discussion of university-wide and unit-specific fundraising strategy and initiatives as well as developments related to each unit’s curriculum, research and partnerships.

I believe that effective collaboration is essential to our work as an institution. Together with your input and expertise, it can be the engine that drives our administrative teamwork, academic enterprise, community service and commitment to providing a transformative education to all who seek one.

Enjoy the summer, recharge your batteries, and let’s take our partnerships to the next level this fall!

Sincerely,

Katie Fraumann