Development: Review assessment activities to increase donor participation
rates and gift income levels by better targeting our annual giving
programs. For example, we target our Annual
Alumni Fund Drive efforts to those alumni who have graduated since
1990. Based on giving trends, it is this
group that is most likely to give
Events: Annually review events to determine their effectiveness
in relation to attendance, cost, and on how well they help meet
university goals. Events
that do not effectively meet university objectives are then examined,
and recommendations are made to improve the event’s impact
or to discontinue. For example, Mexican American University
Day was reviewed this year, and will now be a bi-annual event.
Public Relations: Improve efforts to reach markets in our service
area by better targeting the media, and then monitoring those media
to determine the number of impressions.
Assessment is used to insure proper university visibility in the
regional community and to improve relationships with the media.
Assessment activities are also used to calculate the value
of free publicity. For example, based on the cost of
advertising in the Victoria Advocate, the PR office generated
$70,000 worth of free advertising. The PR office coordinated research
and analysis of the university’s image, resulting in the implementation
of a new image, logo, colors, and positioning statement for UHV.
