Strategic Priority: Drive Financial Stability

Initiative #1: Initiate a New Comprehensive Fundraising Campaign

Create a new comprehensive campaign and other creative fundraising initiatives.

Conduct data analysis of "friends of UDM" to identify and prioritize potential donors.
Convene donor focus/listening groups to identify themes that generate the greatest excitement for integration into a campaign appeal strategy.
Identify specific areas of need that correlate to donor interest.
Link the donor initiatives to the 2025-29 Strategic Plan.
Provide training to deans and major gift officers to enhance skills for donor management and stewardship.
Create mechanisms to demonstrate a "culture of giving" and showcase how "giving benefits the University and its community."

$250 million raised
Increase the numbers of new donors, repeat donors, new planned gifts and numbers of contacts as registered in Raiser's Edge

Expand opportunities from the Office for Sponsored Programs and Research Activities (OSPRA).

Establish a culture of partnership between grant seekers and OSPRA.

Increase corporate and foundation opportunities.

Create a business plan with key roles and responsibilities to restructure OSPRA to meet the expanding needs of the University, integrating best practices for higher education research.
Create a University Task Force with participation from all campuses in multiple disciplines (academic and non-academic), to identify grant and other funding opportunities. The Task Force will produce biannual reports of opportunities provided to OSPRA for review and consideration.
Develop and prioritize revenue-generating opportunities.
Make connections with trust officers at major foundations.

Identify and launch new net revenue streams.
Identification of additional grant sources with a demonstrated increase in external grant funding success.
Gradually increase granting of external funds, with the goal of doubling the grant funds awarded every three years.
Increase number of grants attempted by 10% each year.

Expand academic recruitment activities and new innovative programs, such as with:

non-traditional students, including veterans;
students seeking badges and certificates;
students seeking flexibility both in time and location, including online delivery;
new programs, centers of excellence and degree offerings, e.g., veterinary medicine, occupational/physical therapy, etc.;
an expanded recruitment base to a larger geographic area;
increased graduate enrollment; and
additional external strategic partnerships.

Identify strategies for evaluating educational offerings, better understanding areas of opportunity and targeting areas for planning and innovation.
Evaluate national enrollment trends to identify programs and areas of study with a national shortage, given the demand for first-year slots.
Evaluate programs at competitor institutions to identify the highest potential opportunities.
Increase partnerships with industries to provide educational programming for corporate needs.

Implemention of strategies to broaden the recruitment base.
Larger geographic footprint for Detroit Mercy's enrollment demographics.
Identification of innovative new programs that will attract new students to the University.
Identification of 1-2 specific initiatives per academic unit that focus on enhancing a current program or launching a new program.