University Fund Limburg’s new fundraising strategy pays off
Earlier this year, a medical school in New York City received a billion-dollar bequest from the widow of a wealthy investor. An eye-watering sum—but donating to universities is not out of the ordinary in the Anglo-American tradition. Successful alumni in particular are known to give back to their alma mater through generous gifts and bequests.
Guido Vanderbroeck, senior adviser at the University Fund Limburg (UFL), was astonished to read the news. “Donations of that size are unheard of in the Netherlands. A million euros would already be extraordinary, given that our annual donations currently amount to about one and a half million. The general assumption here is that universities are funded by the government. Which is true, although universities increasingly need to seek other sources of funding, especially for special research initiatives, endowed chairs and scholarships. These are difficult to pull off without additional funding. This is where alumni could play a larger role.”
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Charity status
“And not just alumni,” confirms UFL director Bouwien Janssen. “Individuals and businesses in the Netherlands are often unaware that they can donate to universities. Or that they can specifically earmark their donations for students and PhD candidates, endow a chair or fund cancer research, to name a few examples. As a recognised public benefit organisation, we have official charity status. Unfortunately, few people know this.”
Lack of awareness in the region was one of the challenges Janssen faced in 2018, when she took the helm of the UFL after a long career in banking. “I felt that we should be more proactive in reaching out, including by publishing a professional, public annual report to inform our stakeholders of all our wonderful networking events and creative campaigns. The Fund is uncontroversial and my predecessors achieved a great deal, but it was time for a new direction and market strategy.”
Crowdfunding
Janssen and Vanderbroeck wrote a five-year plan aimed at proactive fundraising, with a focus on businesses and alumni. One of the first steps was to set up a crowdfunding platform. “It’s a low-threshold tool for involving individuals and companies in initiatives and projects across the various university faculties that our Fund wants to support,” explains Vanderbroeck. “A few years later, we can conclude that it’s been a success. The platform has raised money for dozens of projects and initiatives, ranging from scholarships for underprivileged students and energy poverty reduction to heart failure therapy, research on brain injury and Alzheimer’s, and diagnostic tools for detecting diseases such as cancer. The tally now stands at 56 campaigns of varying scale, with over 6200 donors.”
The fundraising plan emphasises a targeted and personal approach. “More outreach, in short,” Janssen says. “We approach local businesses that have a social orientation and specific knowledge needs, inviting them to gatherings and events like the annual UM dinner. We connect with the region. We reach out to alumni who are doing special things or building successful careers in the Netherlands or abroad, asking them to give guest lectures or support projects. Alumni are often surprised to learn about the options and eager to give back, financially or otherwise, to the university. They also see the benefits of networking and connecting with current students—talents who will later enter the tight labour market.”
Network
It’s a great way to build reciprocal relationships and raise money for education and research, Vanderbroeck adds. “But it goes beyond that. Our crowdfunding platform and inspiring events enhance our visibility and expand our network. Very effectively, too; the majority of donations come from people and companies in Limburg. Donors identify with initiatives and projects they feel close to. This also applies to other forms of donations and bequests. You can support a specific project or study and even attach your name to it—a Named Fund—so you know exactly where your donation is going. Together we draw up a contract to ensure that the gifts are tax deductible.”
Green investment strategy
The five-year plan also covers the financial management of the UFL. “The Fund has had a moderately defensive investment strategy for years,” Janssen says. “This risk profile still makes sense, but we also wanted to increase our sustainable investments. We now have a dark green investment portfolio. Overall, we’re very pleased with our investment performance. The returns will allow us to offer a helping hand to many research and education projects at."
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Marketing
Alumni contributions have steadily increased over the past years. “Next year we’ll team up again with other Dutch universities on a national awareness campaign. It’s expensive, but as a university fund, we have to invest in visibility. Shifting the cultural mindset will take time and money. Besides, UM is still young and hasn’t yet reached the milestone of 100,000 alumni [that milestone has now been reached, read more, ed.].”
In 2026, the UFL will celebrate its diamond jubilee and UM its golden jubilee. “We’re already making preparations,” says Janssen. “We see ourselves as the bridge between UM and society. And a jubilee is the perfect opportunity to tell the outside world what we do and how we can contribute to the region!”
Text: Jos Cortenraad
Photography: Harry Heuts
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