The University of Southern California (USC) advancement program entered a significant leadership transition during the spring of 2008.  For more than 16 years, one man had been at the helm of University Advancement and had spearheaded the University's Building on Excellence campaign, which concluded in 2002 with more than $2.9 billion raised - a new national highpoint for higher education fundraising at the time.

During this leadership transition, USC saw the perfect opportunity to engage counsel.  While the organizational structure and staff had excelled in achieving USC's ambitions and priorities under one person for many years, USC wanted to ensure it was keeping up with the needs and aspirations of today's donors and with the competitive challenges of the philanthropic landscape in higher education.

USC partnered with Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A) to help identify the key success factors that had contributed to the University's fundraising achievements as well as to clearly define the path forward absent of the long-term Senior Vice President's leadership.

GG+A conducted a University-wide development program review across USC's highly decentralized environment.  The firm's review detailed the ways the University could come together in fundraising but still have its individual fundraising units maintain the entrepreneurial spirit that had been a hallmark of the University's success.

GG+A used an evidence-based approach to the review, which included extensive interviews with Deans and other academic and administrative leaders, development staff members, and related operations staff including communications and alumni relations.  Also included was a benchmarking study of leading major research universities, a series of Analytics projects, and a Web-based staff survey that had employees describe their current roles and responsibilities.  This work subsequently informed the firm's recommendations on maximizing staff productivity.  USC now hopes to apply the same type of rigorous analysis when it considers how technology can enhance its development program.

A key component throughout GG+A's engagement with USC was the external visibility the partnership provided.  USC knew some stakeholders would be leery of making changes to an already successful development program.  GG+A's final report of findings and recommendations helped the University to communicate why structural revisions were necessary to gain efficiencies and to remain competitive in the ever changing world of fundraising.  GG+A continues to provide counsel to USC as the review findings and recommendations are implemented to produce a higher performing operation with more effective deployment of budget and staff resources.