UI Foundation/UI Advancement Weekly Update 02.11.22

Dear Team:

Last week, I mentioned the importance of thanking donors who are also generous with their time. I challenged all of us to make a concerted effort to tell our volunteers we appreciated them. I hope you took my suggestion. More than just saying thanks, sharing gratitude with volunteers reflects our UIF Core Values.

When I was thanking and spending time with our UIF Board of Directors at the Winter Board meeting this week, I was also struck by how much they exemplify our Development Program Core Values. As Board members and individuals, each values integrity, practices civility, embraces collaboration, inspires innovation, and creates impact. Realizing that our board members, and in fact, our university leaders are aligned with all of us was inspiring and motivating. I firmly believe what makes the University of Illinois advancement enterprise so successful is our commitment to the core values that drive our actions and decisions. We are not perfect and holding ourselves accountable to make our core values more than words on a page or website is a process not an event.

How we live our values and have them manifest in our daily work is sometimes unclear. So, for the last six months, a team of UIF and university advancement staff from all three universities has been working on shaping our values into a culture code—or specific ways an organization will exemplify its values. The culture code will be presented organization-wide in the upcoming weeks. I’m excited to continue our discussions about our organizational culture and the impact that it has on our success and the work we do to advance the University of Illinois. In the meantime, know I am incredibly grateful for all the ways you already exemplify our core values in your day-to-day work.  It does not go unnoticed.

Cheers to a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.

Jim