Strategic Plan, Elevate '28, Objectives and Goals

Office of Advancement

Strategic Priority: Student Success   

Objective 1: Accelerate fundraising to support the University’s mission of providing a flexible, affordable education. 

  • Goal 1: Increase total dollars raised for student supports (including scholarships, financial aid, books, lab kits, technology) to $1M annually by 2026.

Objective 2: Leverage the power of an engaged alumni network to benefit students, alumni, and the university.

  • Goal 1: Increase alumni participation in Refer-A-Student outreach efforts by 10% per year by 2028.
  • Goal 2: Increase alumni-supported internship referrals to Career Services by 10% per year, using 2025 to determine baseline.

Strategic Priority: Academic and Inclusive Excellence

Objective 1: Increase funding for Empire State University’s academic and inclusive enterprise from all external sources, including private and corporate foundations, corporations, and individuals. 

  • Goal 1: Increase the number of proposals submitted to all sources in support of the academic and inclusive enterprise to $12M in total by June 2028.
  • Goal 2: Submit four proposals annually at $500K or above as part of total proposal submissions by June 2028.
  • Goal 3: Elevate the impact of the Corporate and Foundation Relations program by raising $2M in total commitments from corporations and foundations in support of Empire leadership and faculty-driven initiatives by June 2028.

Strategic Priority: Organizational Effectiveness 

Objective 1: Develop a high-performing, metrics-driven Advancement team that is prepared to meet the fundraising and alumni engagement needs of SUNY Empire’s Elevate ’28 Strategic Plan.

  • Goal 1: By 2028, achieve $8M in fundraised revenue from all sources.
  • Goal 2: Reach and maintain a yearly donor retention rate of 40%, on par with national trends, by 2027.
  • Goal 3: Reach and maintain an alumni giving participation rate of 5% by 2028.

Strategic Priority: Raising our Public Profile 

Objective 1: Support the work of Empire State University by raising funds and awareness for projects and initiatives identified in the strategic plan.

  • Goal 1: By 2028, identify two strategically aligned major gift opportunities annually through Foundation Board member connections.

Objective 2: Elevate the profile of Empire State University by promoting a legacy of achievements and contributions of our 100,000 alumni worldwide.

  • Goal 1: Host the Alumni Awards dinner annually beginning in FY26.
  • Goal 2: Host one significant presentation or multi-part series featuring Empire alumni annually, beginning July 2025.

Objective 3: Increase our visibility and presence as a community partner, with particular focus on the greater Capital Region.

  • Goal 1: By 2026, commit to attendance annually by the president or her designee at the ten most strategically significant community events in the Capital Region.
  • Goal 2: By 2026, commit to attendance by the corporate relations committee or other university representatives at ten events annually not included in Goal 1 to strategically raise our visibility.