Attendees

Mrs. Julianne F. Andrews (Darden '83)
Mrs. Elizabeth Edgar Bole (A&S '89)
Mrs. Margaret Craven Briggs (Med. Tech. School '64)
Mrs. Diane S. Clark (GSAS '72)
Mrs. Rebecca Slate Cohn (Nursing '68)
Ms. Joni House Cope (A&S '77)
Mrs. Susan McKee Crimmins (A&S '82)
Ms. Lyn Shelton Graybill (GSAS '87; GSAS ‘91)
Ms. V. Hilton Hallock (A&S '85)
Ms. Wendy Hamilton (Commerce '87)
Katherine L. Heilpern, M.D. (A&S '82)
Mrs. Christy Higgins Hooper (Commerce '90)
Ms. Countess M. Hughes (A&S '86; Educ. ‘88)
Mrs. Sarah "Cissy" Jackson (A&S '87)
Mrs. Sydney Rhame Janney (Arch. '78)
Ms. Sharon Rixey Jones (Engin.'83; Grad. Engin.'85)
Mrs. Karen Lange (Commerce '93)
Mrs. Kathy Lee (Parent)
F. Dickinson McMullan, M.D. (A&S '74)
Ms. Yvonne A. Merkel (A&S '91)
Ms. Barbara Propst Muirhead (A&S '89)
Mrs. Nancy Epstein Oswald (A&S '78)
Mrs. Anne Barnett Parker (A&S '75)
Mrs. Mary Holahan Peebles (A&S '79)
Ms. Nancy Peterman (A&S '78)
Mrs. Alexis E. Probasco (A&S '84)
Mrs. Beth B. Reagan (A&S '81)
Mrs. Janet Verklin Reed (A&S '83)
Mrs. Patricia H. Reid (A&S '77)
Mrs. Nancy T. Rizor (Nursing '80)
Mrs. Ruth Baldwin Russ (A&S '88)
The Honorable Wendy L. Shoob (A&S '75)
Mrs. Sally Griffitts Smithgall (Parent)
Mrs. Mary Moncure Watson (A&S '78)
Mrs. Marietta Edmunds Zakas (Darden '84; Law '84)

Atlanta WLP Focus Group Notes

January 13, 2004 ~ Ruth's Chris Steak House

Focus Group participants were asked to address the following question:

How do we increase the influence of alumnae and women friends at the University and regionally?

Communications and Involvement

(Connectivity is the overarching desire/advice regarding how U.Va. can better communicate with women)

• Personal phone calls important
• When students call during Phone-a-thon, have students share with alumni who they are
• Desire to see more women in University publications
• Women want to be involved
• Women would like to see a catalog of volunteer opportunities, including time commitment needed
• Busy women need to know exactly what criteria are used to determine board appointments
• Ask female staff or faculty to help make connections with women (e.g., Pat Lampkin)
• Connect women to U.Va. through Clubs, Sororities, etc.
• Emphasize personal relationships when communicating with women
• Women would like a report or publication dedicated to alumnae and their contributions
• Make more personal connections with women; for men, it's information, for women, the emphasis should be relationship-building
• Women need something to connect with over time. For men, this can come more in a business sense; for women, connection should allow women to respond from their current, personal stage of life
• Reach out to women who have children in high school; provide them with information regarding U.Va. application process, etc.
• Women would like to be kept informed of the status of women at U.Va. (e.g., number of female faculty, students, etc.)
• A database of successful women would help inform Atlanta Club of potential speakers
• Atlanta Club is seen as weak in its communications with older alumnae; many attendees asked whether Atlanta Club is defunct
• International alumnae should be kept involved with U.Va.
• Women would like to return to U.Va. to speak to classes and students

Philanthropy

Women-to-Women or Peer-to-Peer requests for giving are more appropriate when asking women for gifts

Women are not comfortable giving to U.Va. because University is seen as male-dominated

Women need to be shown U.Va. schools, programs, or agendas that have the potential to generate “passion” (e.g., Women's Center; scholarship for women)

Begin by asking for smaller gifts from women; asking for larger gifts can be intimidating

Women want to be involved and participate before making a gift

Suggestions for giving opportunities: Ask women to double a gift for their Reunion year; have a competition among women of different class years to see which class of alumnae give the most or have the best participation rate

Educate on philanthropy early, while women are students

Determine where gifts from women are going; women tend to want a tangible relationship to their beneficiary

Women want giving opportunities that they can see are making a difference; women want to know precisely where their donations are going

Women would like to team on fundraising projects for specific University initiatives

Empower women to have a stronger voice in their giving decisions (through education, etc.)

Programming, Events, and Outreach

• Regional events should include activities that appeal to young families
• Women like to be asked to come back to the University for specific reasons
• Tie university events with other events that involve the whole family
• Women focus group attendees reiterated they were honored to be asked for advice and enjoyed being involved
• Women would like more events that highlight women speakers from the University
• Women would like to see more noted female visiting lecturers
• Women would like for Reunion topics and events to be more appealing to women
• Mentoring opportunities are seen as valuable and worthwhile (e.g., provide networking or mentoring opportunities for alumnae and recent graduates)
• Women would like to see better support for regional club
• Alumni clubs are seen as only for the younger alumni. Club programming should appeal to older alumni as well
• Bring more high-level (or any!) speakers from University to Atlanta
• A Women's Conference at U.Va. is highly desired; Women's Conference should appeal to working women and women working from home
• A send-off party at the end of summer for Atlanta-area U.Va. first years, current students, and alumni is highly recommended
• Regularly scheduled luncheons or dinners only for women, highlighting female executives, faculty experts, etc. would be beneficial