UVic fundraising team reaches new heights

UVic’s chief fundraiser Shannon von Kaldenberg has a lot to smile about these days. Despite a tougher economic climate, the associate vice-president alumni and development reports that philanthropic support for UVic is stronger than ever. In the three-year period ending in fiscal year 2008/09, UVic’s Development Office posted a total of $78.5 million, a 122-per-cent increase in funds raised over 2003–06.

“I’m very pleased with the team’s performance over the past three years,” says von Kaldenberg. “Our group has been through a lot of organizational change, and today we’ve moved to a sustainable, major gift fundraising program at the national and international level with a business model to support it.”

Von Kaldenberg, who arrived in 2005 from UBC’s Sauder School of Business, has led UVic’s Development Office through a significant restructuring.

“The Development Office works directly to secure funding for the university’s strategic priorities,” says UVic President David Turpin.“ I’ve been consistently impressed with the way the team has focused on UVic’s academic priorities and engaged the academic leadership in fundraising. The success is outstanding.”

The Development Office posted $19.6 million in funding for academic chairs and professorships—an increase of 277 per cent over 2003–2006; capital projects went from $5.5 million to $16.1 million in the same period—a 193-per-cent increase; and funding for student awards increased 17 per cent to $17 million.

“Increasing the funding for student awards is a top priority for me,” says Turpin. “We want to ensure that finances are never a barrier to the students who want to come here.”

The university’s Development Office falls under the wing of Vice-President External Relations Valerie Kuehne.

“Our success in fundraising mirrors the success we’ve had all across the division over the past three years,” says Kuehne. “We are seeing the results of a whole division working to support the university’s strategic goals and objectives with a very high level of collaboration and integration across campus and with our external communities of interest locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.”

The Development Office has set a goal of $34 million for student awards for 2006–2010 and, despite economic woes, von Kaldenberg is optimistic.

“Yes, there have been some difficulties in financial markets, but our friends and supporters continue to see UVic as an investment that will always pay great dividends,” she says. “Collaboration at every level of our organization is key. The president, the deans and department chairs will continue to play a critical role in our success—it’s been a wonderful team effort all the way.”