Making the case for investment

In today’s challenging financial landscape, budget cuts are the new norm for higher education. These reductions are particularly difficult for advancement shops, undermining fundraising efforts that generate essential university revenue. Our data makes this abundantly clear: for every dollar cut from an advancement budget, institutions lose nearly six dollars in potential revenue.

EAB partners turn to our Advancement Investment and Performance Index (AIPI) to gather the data needed to protect and grow their budgets. By analyzing key metrics, our advancement benchmarking equips leaders with data-based insights to evaluate their operations and effectively advocate for their funding. Each report covers six critical data points, providing a clear picture of performance compared to peers.

A Best-in-Class ROI Index

Industry-leading insights into investments needed to achieve success.

Read on to explore the top three data-driven impacts of our advancement benchmarking.

Make the Case for Additional Investment

In a climate where everyone’s budget is under the microscope, standing out as a priority for investment is essential. Using data, advancement leaders can quantify their department’s value, demonstrating to senior administrators that their shop is a cost center and a vital revenue generator. When placed against peer institutional data, this information shows leaders their return on investment (ROI) potential for additional departmental funding. For example, if peer institutions with higher advancement budgets are achieving significantly better outcomes, the case for increased investment becomes difficult to ignore.

Prioritize Potential Growth Areas

Advancement leaders must identify and prioritize areas that can yield the highest returns to support future growth. Our benchmarking data reveals areas where a department is underperforming relative to its peers, strategically identifying where to focus for growth opportunities. Improved fundraising performance means a more stable revenue stream, ultimately translating to more dollars for the university. This data-driven approach helps advancement teams concentrate their efforts in the divisions most likely to drive results, whether it’s major gifts, annual giving, alumni engagement, or others.

Identify Operational Inefficiencies

In addition to highlighting growth areas, AIPI pinpoints where departments are investing heavily but yielding comparatively low productivity. With this information, leaders can make evidence-based decisions to quickly reallocate resources or streamline processes, creating more efficient and impactful fundraising efforts and doing more with every dollar invested.

In an era of challenging budgets, it’s more important than ever for advancement shops to secure the resources they need. Our benchmarking reports provides a cost-effective, reliable data source to help advancement leaders advocate for their departments, optimize operations, and identify growth opportunities. Through Advancement Advisory Services, our partners receive dedicated support in leveraging this data effectively and in presenting insights to boards or executive leadership.

Want to see how benchmarking can make a difference? Read the case study on how we helped one partner institution leverage their advancement benchmarking, or reach out to learn more about AIPI and how EAB’s resources can help protect and grow your advancement shop’s budget.