Under Development

Greetings!

It’s been great to see so many proud parents posting photos of their now-eligible 5–11-year-olds showing off their princess or superhero Band-Aid after getting their first COVID-19 vaccine dose. Most times, the kids are also smiling, with a sucker in their mouth. Now that that age group is eligible, I encourage you to consider getting your child vaccinated. It’s for their safety and the other kids they are around daily – and as we know, likely without much in the way of hand washing or social distancing. We now have appointments available for the 5-11 age group at the Batson Kids Clinic, which is adjacent to the stadium. Info is here on how to make an appointment but you can certainly use the option most convenient to you.
 
Now, on to today’s topic.

Last week, I had the honor of participating in an event that reminded me of the Office of Development’s critical role in helping UMMC fulfill its mission.

The one-year birthday celebration of the opening of the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower was a joyous event that commemorated the addition to Children’s of Mississippi. This expansion of care to thousands of children across the state began with a $10 million personal donation from the Sandersons, who attended the birthday party. Although this institution receives support through federal (mainly directed to our research efforts) and state (for our education mission) funds, those funds are limited when you think of the extensive responsibilities of UMMC’s three-fold mission of education, research and health care. The additional resources generated by the efforts of the Office of Development enable UMMC to build and expand buildings, increase services to patients and provide support to our students and schools.

The impact of development touches each of our mission areas and over the last 5 years, the development office has secured:

• In excess of $120 million in philanthropic gifts;
  
  
• More than $91 million of the $100 million campaign to fund the Sanderson Tower;
  
  
• Six UMMC and nine University of Mississippi Foundation endowed funds.

As we approach the season of thankfulness and giving, the Office of Development is already bustling with activity, receiving contributions from donors, supporters and other friends. Today, I want to spotlight the leadership team charged with UMMC’s fundraising duties.

There are new names and positions but the team’s mission remains unchanged: to lead all philanthropic activities for the advancement of UMMC. The development office also engages alumni from all UMMC schools and provides opportunities for all alumni and donors to be involved in furthering UMMC’s mission.

The office is led by Meredith Aldridge, executive director of development, who reports directly to the Office of the Vice Chancellor. Team management is separated into three distinct areas of community/annual giving/alumni engagement, finance and stewardship, and principal giving and strategic planning. Here are the leaders in those areas:

• Community Partnerships/Annual Giving/Alumni Engagement:  Jen Hospodor is the director of community partnerships, annual giving, and alumni engagement. In that role, she manages community and grassroots development efforts, including the Children’s Miracle Network program and the Community Fundraising Team. Digital marketing and annual giving campaigns are a part of this area as well, as are alumni engagement efforts centered on fundraising and information distribution. Jen took over leadership of this team a few months ago, having previously served on the communications and marketing team and as leader of community fundraising efforts.
  
  
• Finance and Stewardship:  Courtney Brisby is the director of finance and stewardship, and her team focuses on operations, budgeting, gift processing and stewardship. From receiving, processing and acknowledging gifts to helping plan donor appreciation events, they work to better steward current and potential donors and help reach the overall goal of recurring gifts. Courtney has been in this role for two years after working as an accounting executive in the private sector in hospitality and educational/career transition service-related industries.
  
  
• Principal Gifts and Strategic Planning: Candie Simmons recently joined the office as the director of principal gifts and strategic planning. In addition to leading fundraising efforts for adult medicine, Candie manages the team of front-line fundraisers for Children’s of Mississippi and the various schools, including staff who focus on institutional and grateful patient fundraising efforts. Candie previously worked as a fundraiser for the University of Mississippi before spending more than a decade in the banking industry as a marketing professional. During her time in the private sector, Candie helped manage philanthropic giving for a large regional bank.

The Office of Development is the hub for philanthropic sales, solicitations and fundraising activity on behalf of the institution, and as a result, coordination of fundraising efforts is essential to protect our institution – and each employee. All gifts, donations and/or contributions, monetary or otherwise, should be directed to the Office of Development so that they can be deposited into the correct account, distributed to the correct department and acknowledged in a timely manner.

Because we want to ensure that all fundraising efforts are coordinated, all solicitations should be approved by and coordinated with the Office of Development. This includes everything from seeking a cash donation to in-kind support. If you would like to solicit an individual, business, foundation or other entity, please reach out to Meredith, and she can direct you to the appropriate person in the office of development to help you with that request. You can find more information on the Office of Development’s webpage on the Intranet.  

Guidance surrounding all philanthropic solicitations and/or fundraising activity by employees and students or by third-parties are outlined in the Policy on Sales, Solicitations, and Fundraisers.  

Finally, if you or your department are approached by a potential donor to offer a financial gift or an in-kind gift, those communications should also be directed to the Office of Development to both facilitate the gift and to notify Compliance, Supply Chain and Legal, when appropriate.

Remember that donations large and small, when combined, make a huge difference.

Employee giving offers UMMC employees, staff and faculty a way to support a program, unit, division or many other areas through convenient payroll deductions. Employee giving week is November 15-18, and the development team will be set up in various locations to show appreciation to employee givers and assist with sign up. You may also use this online form to participate.

Through philanthropic support, we have received additional resources needed to aid in our mission of creating A Healthier Mississippi, and in this season of giving, I am thankful for all those who entrust us with that investment.