The University of South Alabama didn’t have a development office until 2002, so the leap to last year’s $50-million gift was dramatic— but not surprising, says Joseph Busta, the university’s first full-time fundraiser.
The donation was the result of a long and well-tended relationship between the university’s president, who died only months after it was announced, and a donor who was following in the footsteps of his late brother.
Gordon Moulton started as a professor at South Alabama in 1966, when the university was three years old. He became its president in 1998 and served until last year, shortly before he died of brain cancer.
During his time at the institution, Mr. Moulton became particularly close to Mayer Mitchell, a longtime trustee, who, together with his wife and brother, were the university’s top donors. The Mitchell Cancer Institute was named in their honor in 2006 after they gave donations totaling $22-million. The family’s name is sprinkled across the campus, attached to buildings, endowed professorships, and scholarship programs.
Mayer Mitchell took his younger brother, Abraham, under his wing, introducing him to Mr. Moulton and the business of the growing university. After Mayer Mitchell died in 2007, his wife, Arlene, took his spot on South Alabama’s governing board, but Abe Mitchell also stayed intimately connected to South Alabama, continuing his friendship with Mr. Moulton and regularly attending trustee meetings and university events.
Over the years, Mr. Mitchell, who made his fortune in real-estate and investment businesses with his older brother, contributed to dozens and dozens of nonprofits, many health-related or with a focus on helping kids. He has also been a supporter of the arts and of other colleges, including his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. But in the last decade or so, Mr. Mitchell has deliberately narrowed his philanthropic focus to only about a half dozen groups.
“I’m only going to give now if I can make a measurable difference,” he says. “At South Alabama, my money, my involvement can really do a lot. I learned that from Gordon, from my brother, and my own investment of time there.”
Mr. Mitchell’s $50-million gift brings the Mitchell family’s total giving to South Alabama to $93-million.
The build-up
Mr. Busta and Mr. Moulton talked about approaching Mr. Mitchell with a big request in 2011.
They decided asking for scholarship money seemed a natural fit. Mr. Mitchell had previously given scholarship aid to the business school, and the university wanted to attract more students and increase the caliber of the student body. During informal conversations about a potentially large donation, Mr. Mitchell made clear that he would want others to match his gift.
How the pitch was made
Mr. Moulton sat down for a talk with Mr. Mitchell in the summer of 2012. South Alabama had designed a proposal, laying out scenarios of commitments that would cover different sizes and types of scholarship programs but that did not ask for a specific dollar amount. Mr. Mitchell remembers “talking around some numbers,” then asking Mr. Moulton: “What will make us competitive? What will give us the program we are most proud of?”
Mr. Moulton’s illness became more critical shortly after this meeting, which stalled conversations about details, but by early last year, the two hit upon $50-million as the price of a program that had “the horsepower” Mr. Mitchell wanted. The donor committed to $25-million over five years. South Alabama committed to a fundraising campaign to match it.
How the university won more
Mr. Mitchell, who is 79 years old, had mentioned that South Alabama would be a beneficiary in his will. With the $25-million gift wrapped up, Mr. Moulton suggested that the donor pair his scholarship pledge with a bequest, thus making a big splash during the university’s 50th-anniversary celebration last May. Mr. Mitchell agreed, hoping that announcing a $50-million gift would attract favorable attention for the university and set an example for other donors in the state.
“Mobile is blessed with a number of ‘undergivers,’” Mr. Mitchell says of folks in his hometown.
The timing
The scholarship proposal was compelling, Mr. Mitchell says, adding simply: “I had the capability.”
Mr. Moulton’s failing health was a consideration, too, he says. He wanted the president to see the gift made. And Mr. Mitchell’s age was a factor: “I can read actuarial charts like everyone else,” he says, “and I’d rather be making the decisions about what my money will support than leaving that to an executor.”
The follow-up
Mr. Mitchell continues to talk by phone at least weekly to Mr. Busta or to South Alabama’s acting president, John W. Smith, who had been a top aide to Mr. Moulton and with whom Mr. Mitchell has also had a long relationship. Mr. Smith occasionally meets with donors who are considering contributing to the matching scholarship fund. (A $25-million, five-year campaign, announced last month, has so far raised about $3-million.)
Mr. Mitchell also has plans to meet more formally with university officials every six months to get updates about the scholarships, including what incoming scholarship students plan to study. “I want to know the details,” he says.
The donor’s fundraising advice
- Present donors with concise, well-formulated proposals. “At some point, you have to stop drinking coffee with me and give me a good, neat, succinct presentation of your needs and my options.”
- Demonstrate results. “Donors should be told through regular reports exactly how their money is being spent.”
- Stay connected. “If I can get my phone calls answered, that’s all I am interested in.”
The fundraiser’s advice
- Be on time and deliver. Mr. Mitchell is “not demanding, but he has high expectations, and he expects things to get done on time or ahead of time.” Expect the same from other donors.
- Keep patient. “Discuss in depth the pros and cons of the proposed gift objective in measurable terms, internally and with the donor.”
- Get personal. Mr. Mitchell’s ties to South Alabama include much more than his friendship with Mr. Moulton. The donor’s direct involvement with the president to develop his philanthropic plans was crucial to the $50-million gift.
