Notes from San Francisco/Sausalito Focus Group - March 16, 2005

Attendees
Nancy Lewis Alvarez (Host) (A&S, 1979)
JoAnn Bertges (Education, 1977; Darden, 1983)
Margaret Bridges (GSAS, 1996; GSAS, 1998)
Mary Picardi Buie (Host) (Education, 1974)
Alice Duffee Coneybeer (Host) (Architecture, 1991)
Pamela Cook (GSAS, 1981)
Allison Kent Evanow (A&S, 1986)
Beth Fernbacher (Darden, 1987)
Joyce L. Franklin (Commerce, 1987)
Jayne Greenberg (Commerce, 1981)
Sherry Johanson (Nursing, 1960)
Marilyn M. Johnson (Darden, 1978)
Mary Katherine Straughan Kienzle (Host) (A&S, 1988)
Wendy Liu (Darden, 2003)
Patricia Meagher (A&S, 1979)
Lilian Shackelford Murray (Host) (Commerce, 1980)
Nancy O'Neill (Commerce, 1981)
Kimberley Roberts (GSAS, 2002)
Meme Scherr (Darden, 1996)
Theresa Lina Stevens (Commerce, 1984)
Nancy Taylor (Darden, 1987)
Patty Wang (Nursing, 1977)
Mary Lacey Wolfe (A&S, 1988)

U.Va. Staff in Attendance
Robyn Beck Dietter (Intern for Women in Leadership & Philanthropy)
Megan Hoak (A&S, 1995, Regional & Reunion Development)
Patricia M. Lampkin (Education, 1986, Vice President for Student Affairs)
Jenny Wyss-Jones (Assistant Campaign Director)

Main Questions
How do we increase the influence of alumnae and women friends at the University, regionally, and locally?

• What motivates you to connect with the University?
• What would encourage you to connect more often?
• What would encourage you to give and why?
• What do you want in return from the University?

Local Events

• Women's events that emphasize networking and collaboration and create connections
  • Share a listing of WLP women and "what they do"--this will help create connections and serve as a networking tool
• Women's events should be more meaningful (e.g., educational/learning opportunities)
• Create opportunities for alumnae to connect with students
• Allow alumnae to help in recruiting students for U.Va.--"planting the seeds of influence"
• Provide regional opportunities to connect with affinity groups
• Supply alums with U.Va. professors/classes on tape/CD or downloadable from online (a la "The Learning Company")
• Local club events should be more specific and focused (not just a generic bar night)
• Lunchtime is a good time for many women to meet
• California is receptive of more "unusual" events
• Outreach to women who are parents of high school age children to inform them of University application requirements

Leadership

• Mentoring--recent grads, but also mid-career women or women who have moved recently to the San Francisco area
• Expansion of a summer internship program for students--where companies aren't required to pay intern makes taking on an intern more achievable
• Women need a list of "tasks"--a detailed job description of leadership service needs--to fit into busy lives
• Create a women's alumni council that focuses on leadership (e.g., Nancy Taylor's Stanford group)
• Advocate for U.Va. women to take seats on corporate and non-profit boards--this will increase U.Va.'s influence nationally and regionally
• Find women in key leadership positions and draw on them for U.Va. board training for women

Communications

• Better advertise U.Va.'s email forwarding service for alumni
• Provide women with email groups to which they can belong (e.g., dorms, departments, etc.)
• Send invitations for and information about events at least six weeks in advance; keep in mind that mail time to the West Coast from U.Va. can be very slow
• Subscription to Headline News is interesting for alumnae who are far from Virginia

Philanthropy

• Women giving collectively for greater impact is appealing
  • Publicize this regional giving group to enhance cohesion
  • Create a community of women philanthropists in the San Francisco area
• Profile women philanthropists in U.Va. communications to provide role models for women's giving
  • Profile women who give meaningful smaller gifts (e.g., "average people" making average gifts). Profiling only massive gifts makes the giving threshold seem too high/intimidating.
  • Create a special publication or segmented campaign only for women
• "Woman to woman" communications and outreach--making connections and networking--are most effective when asking women for gifts
• Give women a "menu" approach to making gifts. Show where an impact can be made at different giving levels.
• Women want to have personal solicitation calls from students. Some women have experienced too much of a cold, scripted, "telemarketing" approach from student callers

Other

• At Reunions, offer events that are women-only