Development Office
Development Office enquiries number: 01865 (6)11530
Fax: 01865 (6)11531
Email: enquiries@devoff.ox.ac.uk
Websites: Development Office (Oxford University access only)
The Campaign for the University of Oxford
Postal address: Development Office, University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD.
Director of Development: Ms Liesl Elder
Executive Assistant: Sharon Thomas
Executive Officer: Eleanor Kilsby
Associate Director - Annual Programmes: Dan Keyworth
Associate Director - Support Engagement: Ben Plummer-Powell
The role of the University’s Development Office is to help secure philanthropic support for the University. The Development Office works in partnership with academic and development colleagues throughout the collegiate University to build enduring relationships with external constituencies and to increase financial support for agreed academic priorities. In May 2008, the University launched Oxford Thinking: The Campaign for the University of Oxford, aimed at raising a minimum of £1.25 billion to transform the collegiate University for many generations to come. Gifts totalling more than £1 billion have now been received.
In addition to fundraising staff, the Development Office has a number of teams that cover particular support functions. These include the Research Team (which gathers information on potential and existing donors); the Proposals Team (which writes proposals and project information); the Gift Registry (which records and processes donations received by the University and on behalf of colleges); the Database Team (which supports the Development and Alumni Relations System (DARS); and the Donor Relations team (which ensures that donors are appropriately thanked and stewarded). There are also three overseas offices whose remit includes development: New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
The Director of the Development Office reports to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Development and External Relations) and works closely with officers in UAS, especially in Alumni Relations and Finance, as well as with academic and development colleagues across the collegiate University.
Profile of the Director of Development
Liesl Elder became Oxford's new Director of Development in September 2011. She joined Oxford from the University of Edinburgh, where she managed the fundraising and alumni relations team during the university’s £350m Enlightenment Campaign.
Ms Elder has worked in educational fundraising since 1993, beginning her career at the US liberal arts colleges Carleton College and Oberlin College before serving as Campaign Director for Santa Clara University in California. She moved to the UK in 2004 to become Director of Development and Communications at Durham University and managed Durham’s 175th Anniversary Campaign before joining the University of Edinburgh in 2008.
