Best of CASE District VI Award
 

Institution: University of Nebraska Foundation

Title of entry: Fund Management Process and System Improvement Project: Phase One

About this entry: The University of Nebraska Foundation (UNF) has undertaken a years-long project to review and redevelop its entire funds management process. With 11,000+ active donor funds, and growing, UNF recognized the critical need to invest in systems and processes that ensure best-in-class donor fund stewardship. Phase one of the Funds Management Project focused on reviewing existing processes and enhancing fundamental functions of the organization's fund management systems. This included a complete review and update to fund coding practices, the development of a fund authority hierarchy and access system for campus users, a new process for managing gift acceptance exceptions, and the launch of a student support fund searchable criteria tool. These updates to core fund management practices and systems were essential to lay the foundation for additional upgrades that will occur in later phases of the overall project, including an electronic campus payment and transfer request system, a streamlined fund agreement workflow, and an automated fund-creation process, all of which are currently in development. Throughout phase one, UNF has realized efficiencies in its core funds management processes by automating processes, empowering university partners with clear fund information and access to more detailed fund information, and strengthening its ability to properly manage and steward donor funds.