A few days ago we posted an article about the relationship between the University of Tennessee and the Haslam family. A connection which has resulted in a series of generous donations for the school.
Today we wanted to take a look at Duke University and their relationship to the Wilson family. Below is a relationship report generated by Prospect Visual revealing the connections between the school and Gary L Wilson.
The report shows many strong connections – and no wonder. The Wilsons have a long history with Duke. Gary Wilson, a running back on the football team for two championship years, was a ’62 graduate of Trinity college. Derek Wilson earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Duke in 1986 and an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business in 1990. Derek’s mother, Susan Moody Wilson, also graduated from the Woman’s College at Duke in 1962. His daughter, Trinity, is currently a student there too.
How has the relationship benefitted Duke?
If you’re a regular reader you already know that we believe that relationships can be a powerful philanthropic catalyst. So we weren’t surprised to discover that Duke’s strong links to the Wilson family has been extremely beneficial to the school.
This year alone, the Wilson family has committed a $3 million to Duke University. Previously Derek Wilson and his wife Christen have donated two works of art to the Nasher Museum and contributed to the purchase of three others. Wilson is also a founding board member of Fuqua’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The family donated $5 million in 1996 to fund the construction of The Wilson Recreation Center and last year.
That Duke understands the importance of maintaining their links with the Wilsons is evident in the fact that they have not hesitated to honor the family by putting their name on the projects that have supported. In fact a gate at the newly renovated Wallace Wade Stadium is due to be named for the Wilson family in honor of Gary’s $2 million gift to Duke Athletics last year.
What does this mean for your organization?
All of the above reiterates the importance of cultivating and maintaining relationships with high-capacity donors. It can be a mammoth task – especially if you’re not exactly sure about your institutions connections.
That’s where a relationship mapping product such as Prospect Visual can help, allowing you to identify relationships quickly and accurately and ensuring that you are aware of the prospects who are within your reach and the relationships that can help you engage them.
If you’d like to find out more, feel free to get in touch right now.
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