Resources for Development Officers and University Advancement Staff
Stewardship Ideas and Best Practices
Personalized Student Profiles
- Create student profiles with a headshot, recipient name, class year, major, quote, etc. for each donor with a new fund (via Canva or InDesign template provided by graphic designer). Send to the donor in the Summer/early Fall via email with a short bio of the student. This will serve as the first introduction of the recipient to the donor (prior to the thank you letter). (Create for a group of identified donors each year as an additional touch.) These can also be shared on social media.
Best Practice: Protect Student Data
- Only include directory information. Always seek written student approval to share student’s photo, biography and quotes.
- Suggested language: By signing below, I hereby grant permission to use my name and photo along with all quotes and information provided in the survey above in any manner consistent with the promotion of the University of South Florida and affiliated entities. Such use to include, but is not limited to: publication, display, advertising, editorial, illustration, web use, broadcast, etc. Scholarship recipient name, photo and contact information may be shared with the donor or donor's designee and may be used in publications by the USF Foundation. "I agree to all terms and conditions herein and am (check one)”: ( )18 years of age or older or ( ) a minor whose parent or guardian has signed below on my behalf to grant permission.
One-on-One Meetings with Donors and Scholars
Best Practices for Donor-Scholar Meetings
- Provide donors with new funds and any other identified donors the opportunity to meet with their student one-on-one. This can be accomplished via Zoom, Teams, coffee, lunch, etc. and is an excellent opportunity for a representative from the scholarship office or development officer to attend and facilitate the conversation that can lead to a lasting relationship with the donors/students.
- Prepare the scholarship recipient with potential talking points when meeting with thier donor. Students should be prepared to discuss why they decided to come to USF and share some positive experiences they've had so far and what they are looking forward to most. They should also talk about their major, why they selected it, what they hope to do in the future. Students should also be reminded to thank their donor(s) and share with them how this support will impact them and their family.
- Take a picture at these meetings for follow up and exchange contact information between both parties.
- The picture can serve as social media content as well.
Thank You Letter Mailing
- Request the mailing list of founding donors/donors for stewardship purposes (IM Request). Pull list of students offered scholarships for the year (from Scholarship Administration Application). Put the two lists together to track letters collected.
- Collect thank-you letters from awarding unit or directly from the students (collection method is listed in the text they see in their Oasis account when accepting the scholarship). Confirm the method of collection with your awarding unit.
- Review all letters for appropriate content. Update any content that may not be appropriate. Remove any personal information (address, etc.).
- Send in rounds with a personalized cover letter from your office.
Coordination & Preparation of Students Speakers
Best Practices for Donor/Scholar Engagement
Guidelines for Student Speakers
- Donor organizations, clubs, Foundations, etc. will request their recipient to speak at their board meeting, scholarship luncheon, gala, etc. Select student and provide information to the student to prepare their remarks. Provide information regarding appropriate attire, length of remarks, nature of event and audience. Schedule a time to review their remarks with them.
Gratitude Videos (to a large group of donors)
- Coordinate with your communications team or the Donor Relations team to create a gratitude video for your scholarship donors.
Social Media Highlights
- Identify donors and/or students and their accomplishments to highlight throughout the year.
- Submit a request via Advancement SharePoint, Communications & Marketing section.
ThankView (personalized for 1:1 or small group communication)
- Utilize this electronic stewardship tool to send student-filmed gratitude messages.
- Learn more and submit a request through Advancement SharePoint, Donor Relations section.
- For staff outside of Advancement, please click here to submit the Campaign Request Form
Gift Agreement Request
- The Gift Agreement Request (GAR), Letter of Intent (LOI) paperwork and the Scholarship Criteria Worksheet (SCW) are posted on SharePoint. If you need any assistance with the request form, please contact Brian Roberts. If you need assistance with scholarship criteria (allowability and awardability questions), please contact Kristi Laribee.
Awarding Committees
- Donor Participation in Scholarship Committee Guidelines (External)
- Awarding Committee Guidelines (Internal)
Scholarship Support Options
Scholarship Criteria Development
The most desirable scholarships are those that are unrestricted or broadly restricted, to provide the greatest flexibility in awarding. When a donor wants to restrict a fund beyond financial need, academic level, college, unit, or merit, it’s important to consider the following:
1. Can students who meet any restrictions be easily identified, or will the funds likely remain minimally or totally unused?
To fulfill our commitment to a donor, we must be able to award the scholarships they create. When the criteria restrict the scholarship to a very small pool of eligible USF students, the scholarship may be difficult to award. For example, if a scholarship is restricted to “the Valedictorian of Jefferson High School,” only one student is eligible for this scholarship each year. If that student does not attend USF, we cannot award the funds. Over time the fund may build up and neither the donor’s intent to support a student or USF’s goal of providing financial aid are advanced.
2. Can the university legally advertise and award funds in the manner the donor is requesting?
Legal challenges and court decisions have established that financial aid that is exclusive to a particular protected class (race, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, gender) may be challenged. USF has articulated that diversity of the student body is valued and enhances the educational learning of USF students.
No scholarships will be accepted which are exclusive to a protected class of individuals.
Best Practice: Develop unrestricted and awardable scholarship criteria.
- When working with a donor who has specific criteria requests, include the Donor Agreement Administrator and the Scholarship Office in the discussion. Based on past gift agreements, awardable and allowable criteria can be suggested to meet the goals of the donor, while being awardable in perpetuity.
Award vs. Scholarship
When working with your donor to create a fund, it’s important to know the difference between a fund that should be distributed as a scholarship vs. an award.
Scholarship: Paid through the student’s Oasis account to cover tuition and fees first. Scholarship criteria must be included with the gift agreement. Scholarships are to cover anything associated with a student's cost of attendance at USF.
Award: Paid via check to the student directly and can be subject to tax implications. An award is given typically based on a competitive process that is established and documented. Examples include elevator speech competitions, mock patient visits, etc.
Best Practice: Award vs. Scholarship
- Consult with the USF Foundation Business Office as the determination is based on complex accounting rules and IRS regulations.