The landscape
INSEAD, one of the world’s leading business schools, has more than 60,000 alumni in 176 countries around the globe. Throughout its history, INSEAD completed successful campaigns reliant on corporate and government campaigns. With a new €250 million “Campaign for INSEAD,” on the horizon, it embarked on a fresh approach to unite its alumni—a community with rich diversity and a common connection to INSEAD—to generate enthusiasm and support for the campaign.
The solution
Once INSEAD recognized the need to build out its philanthropic priorities, it partnered with GG+A to ensure it started out on the right foot. To carry out a campaign of this magnitude, sophisticated systems needed to be in place.
GG+A developed campaign operating, communications, and alumni relations plans to position INSEAD to embark on this global campaign. Those plans sought to ensure that the institution’s staff, resources, database, and infrastructure were equipped to effectively support the campaign.
GG+A designed briefings for INSEAD leadership to go to alumni where they live. They traveled to eight cities worldwide to brief them on the campaign. This outreach communicated the need for the campaign, its fundraising goals, and the strategies in which to achieve them. GG+A also developed a messaging platform so that leadership and the team would communicate consistent, convincing messages.
To strengthen the program, GG+A conducted prospect pool and portfolio analyses, and gift officer training to ensure those on the frontlines were equipped with data and the tools for effective fundraising. A leadership annual giving program was designed specifically for this constituency to increase giving and bolster its major gift pipeline. GG+A also conducted and delivered an alumni survey which shaped communications and messaging.
The result
With its geographically, broad-based alumni constituency aligned, senior leadership engaged, and an equipped advancement team, INSEAD was positioned to embark and execute a successful campaign. The campaign raised over €268 million from 14,418 donors—107% of its goal—three years before the campaign was set to close. As of 12/20.