Interview with Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland and Helen McArdle CBE, Philanthropist and donor to the University of Sunderland
Common objectives and shared values. How to align your institution and donors for maximum effect.
We sat down with Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland and Helen McArdle CBE, philanthropist and donor to the University of Sunderland to discuss Helen’s ground-breaking gift and how relationships need to be understood, nurtured and sustained to get the best for everyone.
Sir David, what are you the most optimistic about for the year ahead for the University of Sunderland?
I’m a naturally optimistic person so I’ve got lots of reasons to look forward to the year ahead. First of all, we’ve refocused our work to ensure our programmes are career-focused and professions-facing. We’re trying to offer students practical, applied, vocational courses that lead to good jobs. That could be in medicine, nursing, teaching, engineering, or computer science. Our society today needs these skills more than ever, and we want to make a vital contribution. The second reason for optimism is we’re continuing to increase international recruitment and the reach of our transnational education courses. In other words, more students overseas and other institutions are studying Sunderland qualifications. I'm confident in our core mission to be a life changing institution, and seeing the impact that's having regionally and nationally, and increasingly, internationally.
We have seen the announcement of the wonderful gift, Helen, you made to the University and have heard a little bit about the story from different people but wonder if you could both share how this gift transpired?
Helen: I was invited to a dinner at the University and sat next to Shirley Atkinson who was the Vice-Chancellor at the time. As we talked, she mentioned many Sunderland students were the first in their households to go to university, and the vast majority still lived at home. It made me think about how many fun times my own children and grandchildren have at university. It’s sad to think how these children wouldn't experience that, but how committed and hardworking they must be. That made a real, lasting impression on me.
Sir David: Shirley established a strong relationship with Helen and that's very important. When you change leadership, the “hands-on” of relationships can just disappear. I knew how interested Helen was in our work, and we met early on in my tenure to shape the idea that Helen has so generously supported. This was a genuinely collaborative and cooperative approach, considering Helen’s interests and our own priorities. I think one other comment, from Mark, Helen’s son who works on the family Development Trust, was, ‘if we're going to have a plan, let's not spend months debating it. Put something together quickly, so I can put it in front of Helen.’ So that’s what we did. We showed Helen how serious we were about working together.
Sir David why was the ask £2.5m? What did this mean for the University and what impact has it had internally and externally?
You have to go into a conversation with a potential donor having a sense of what their interests are and what they’re prepared to commit. Helen has very generously funded the Helen McArdle Nursing and Care Research Institute, and everything around that, including PhD support, research activity, scholarships, prizes, and more. An institute and research practice centre is a huge step for us. This has elevated our health-related subjects, which are already growing substantially. In addition, Helen has also given us an unrestricted gift which we’ve used to bolster our own significant investment in our health facilities. I know Helen’s been impressed by our health set-up, for example our mock wards and simulation facilities. Helen's gift enabled us to provide even more of what we know is so important to students.
Helen, you’ve touched on the experience with David’s predecessor and also with the University. What could others learn from your experience working with Sunderland, as I’m sure you’re regularly approached by many universities!
The University of Sunderland, led by Sir David Bell, has been by far the best philanthropic experience we've had. We were impressed with everyone we met from the start. What’s important to me is they got to know me, my personality, my background, and they listened. They appreciated and understood my passion and values. It's so easy to just sign a cheque but that’s not what I'm about. And because we got to know each other, we could discuss how to get more people into nursing, because recruitment is such a big problem. Hence the Helen McArdle Nursing and Care Research Institute. I've often brought people to the University to showcase what is on offer to students and I was talking to Prince Charles a month or so ago, and I mentioned this facility, and he was very interested, and knew all about the mannequins and equipment! It’s wonderful to see the excitement around the Institute, and now people we’ve worked with are wanting to join, and we’re fortunate enough to be able to give them a bursary to do that. I'm so very proud of what they've achieved so far. It’s been amazing.
We talk a lot in fundraising about being ‘donor-led’ or being ‘project-led’. Many institutional leaders are focussed on what they need but should be more focussed on what the passions and interests of the potential donor community are. You’ve given us a great example of a coming together of these things, and David, you’ve talked about collaboration. So, both of you was this a true collaboration?
Helen: Definitely. We’ve loved the joint collaboration. Mark, my son, is also very absorbed in the work of the University and I think as a family it has worked very, very well and the understanding of our needs has been instrumental to progress and success. Everyone at the University has been excellent at communicating with the family and you want to feel that you get something out of it and some happiness too. My experience with Sunderland is that I feel we are doing something genuinely good. It is working for everyone, and we really enjoy that.
Sir David: We’ve been very fortunate that Helen’s background and passion has mirrored our own objectives around our health facilities. I would just emphasise that pace point again. Sometimes donors can just lose interest if they feel the University is not taking their project seriously. Mark gave us a very clear signal that our proposal would work for Helen, provided we move at pace and demonstrated that we were serious about it. We listened and took that to heart.
Universities can move at a glacial pace and collaboration can mean it’s very, very slow but you were able to move very fast. How can universities respond more rapidly? David, was this down to your involvement? You very quickly built a team, and the team has evolved and been sustained. So how can other Vice Chancellors ensure their university responds more quickly?
Sir David: In my experience, modern universities can move much faster than older, more traditional institutions. My personal sponsorship meant any barriers were sorted quickly, which to me proves you need leadership to be involved to keep things clear. We also had the advantage of having a very engaged team of academics including the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, Professor Tony Alabaster, and an associate professor, Dr Yitka Graham, who is now the lead for the Helen McArdle Care Institute. Yitka was doing the sorts of things that I knew would resonate with Mark and Helen. Yitka’s enthusiasm is infectious. You need an academic advocate to really get it and believe in the mission. Sometimes academics don't always understand how the world of philanthropy works but we’ve been very fortunate in having many that do.
As a philanthropist you have, no doubt, had many interactions with a variety of different charitable entities and university Development offices. Are there any things that would immediately turn you off as a donor?
Helen: Signing a cheque and giving it to someone and not hearing anything more. As a family we want the money to go to a good cause and we obviously like to be updated on a regular basis but it's important that we do the research beforehand. We will not just sign a cheque and that will be the end of it. Anything now must be something we believe in very strongly; it has to have a purpose. We have to research it and we have to like the people we're working with. That's important. You must enjoy it.
How important was the role of the Vice-Chancellor in your commitment?
Helen: We built strong relationships with David and his predecessor, and we all became friends, and this is very aligned to my and my family’s values. We were like a family, all committed to achieving the same goal and everyone was so enthusiastic. Throughout the family, we want to know our money is being put to good use and try to give back in that way. It's not only about money but we want to help that charity achieve their goal.
David: You actually have to like the people. It’s easy to trivialise that but a gift is a very personal transaction that comes out of a strong relationship. You have to connect and that connection has to work both ways. Helen and I have been very fortunate that we’ve had that connection from when we first met. It’s a combination of the personal relationship and delivering on the promise.
You have clearly enjoyed working with Helen and with your colleagues. How would you describe your role as the Vice Chancellor as it relates to engagement with donors?
Sir David: People at the top now must be much more externally focused. Some people are comfortable with that, and I think I'd put myself in that category. Others aren't but that doesn’t mean you can abdicate that responsibility. Perhaps this should impact on how we think about the future pipeline of university leaders. I'm involved in Universities UK's new vice-chancellors’ programme where we talk about that whole external piece and that future leaders recognise what they have to do. On the fundraising side it’s the same. To put it bluntly, if you're a vice-chancellor and not comfortable engaging with the world beyond the university, there's a question mark over why you're a vice-chancellor at all. That external world is so much part of the day job.
Helen: I used to say, in business I wasn't particularly good at anything, but I surrounded myself with the best people. It's taking on that concept that you have the best people around you to deliver, while acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses.
We know that Presidents/Vice-Chancellors in the US can spend more than 25% of their time directly on fundraising. Sir David, in order to grow philanthropy here in the UK, do you think that fundraising and relationships need a greater focus for higher education leaders? There is never enough time as a Vice Chancellor so do we need to change the role or think differently about it?
Sir David: You wear a multiplicity of hats as a chief executive and that’s part of the joy of the job. I focus on areas depending on their priority at any particular time. From initial concepts to final opening and beyond, I devoted a lot of time to Helen and our shared vision, and that’s what you do. Like any chief executive, you have to have a ‘helicopter’ view and then dive down when necessary. But you have to have the people around you that you trust. I am incredibly lucky here to have a very good top team and the level below that; in other words, the people doing the operational leadership. I am less Inclined to go for a new model of vice-chancellor but would remind future VCs of the scope and scale of their responsibilities. They have to work out how best to fulfil those responsibilities.
Philanthropy and private wealth supporting good causes is very well-established in the US. What we’re seeing in the UK is the emergence of more people like Helen, who through good efforts have generated wealth, some of which they then choose to use for philanthropic purposes. Universities need to be smarter to capitalise on the opportunities of working with civic-minded philanthropic people like Helen who want their money to do good.
If we consider trends in the UK and across Europe, we see a small number of institutions where philanthropic income and investment has consistently grown. In this small number of institutions, we may assume that a culture that supports advancement activity has developed. Elsewhere consistency and growth seem much patchier. So how can we embed an advancement culture alongside sustained investment?
Sir David: If I’m Vice-Chancellor of Oxford or Cambridge, I'm not worrying at night about where the next philanthropic pound is coming from. There are enough people who just want to put a lot of money in that direction. The tradition of giving to that kind of level is not one typically seen in a university like Sunderland. The great thing about Helen’s gift is it has demonstrated that a university like ours doing incredibly important work is as worthy of a large gift as a university like Oxford or Cambridge and, dare I say it, even a Durham or a Newcastle! Helen’s gift is the single largest individual donation we have ever received. That has a massive impact on a university like ours. So modern universities need a ‘win’ to demonstrate that investing in philanthropy is worth doing. We’ve put more money into developing the Advancement Team that Rachel Smith was leading because we know we can actually do it. Helen has shown us that we can.
The gender balance within philanthropy is beginning to shift, with female philanthropists becoming increasingly more present. A 2018 Global Trends in Giving Report found the donor community was 65% female and Forbes statistics show that women give almost twice as much of their wealth away as men. Women work - and give - differently to men. They invest in philanthropy with their minds as well as their bank accounts. Helen, what can the sector do to be more inclusive of women as significant donors?
Helen: I set out in business to make a difference for the future of my family. Women are naturally nurturers, and that initial conversation I had with Shirley Atkinson about the students attending university absolutely appealed to me. As our family became successful, I began to see other opportunities to help other families do good for the communities around us. There are more females involved in business now and they may see or identify opportunities because of their family values.
Sir David: One of the things we love about Helen’s gift is the focus on nursing and care. Big medical fundraising is very “sexy” and everyone wants to be part of it. Helen’s approach really appealed to us because of the focus on an area that generally doesn’t receive as much philanthropic attention. I don’t know if male and female philanthropists have different interests, but the job of a university is to listen to the things that motivate and drive the potential supporters as people. You need to shape a proposition that resonates with their values.
Is this or should this be an aspiration for female business leaders?
Sir David: I was struck that Helen said that she wanted her gift to have an impact on current and future generations of her family. I wonder if male philanthropists would necessarily say the same thing? Is there something for us to learn in ensuring female philanthropists realise they can make a difference for generations to come?
We talk about building a culture of philanthropy for a university. A fundraising university and not just a university that fundraises. How do we future proof advancement in institutions for the next 5-10 years? What are some of the other things outside of the Vice Chancellor role that we need to put in place?
Sir David: We must continue to be faithful to the promise. Helen committed a very substantial sum to the University, and we have to deliver on our promises, ensuring we always have the people and systems to make that happen. You need to keep on top of the administration of relationships, making sure changes of personnel are passed on, new introductions are made, and the like. In other words, basic ‘housekeeping’ when it comes to stewarding donors, something which many charities, not just universities, fall down on. Everyone focuses on the prize. They acquire the prize and think that’s the end of the process. But that’s just the beginning.
Helen: Universities should do their research to find philanthropists they can work with. If you can find people with the same vision and values, it’s easier to align, and work together. If you both have that passion to succeed and commitment, there’s a good chance that will work long term.
David, you mentioned the work you are doing with new Vice Chancellors through Universities UK. If you were standing in front of Development leaders who were struggling to demonstrate their institutional value - which happens more with post-92 institutions - what would you say to them?
Sir David: To succeed with fundraising, you must win over the academics. In every university, there will be academics doing work that they are incredibly enthusiastic about, and desperate to take to the wider world. You need to find your allies within the institution, and with them, work up the project. We had two or three key people In the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing that worked really quickly with us to pull together the proposition for Helen. And if the vice-chancellor is not interested, to be honest, it’s so much harder. If you can work with a friendly and supportive academic to bring forward a project, that can make all the difference. Nobody likes anything more than a bit of success.
Helen: Find and promote your successes. Feel good stories are essential to bringing your proposition to life. Understanding more about some of the young students that have come up and done so well certainly made me want to help.
Sir David: The power of the personal story is incredibly powerful. Internally and externally.
Sir David as a Vice Chancellor you are operating within a landscape that is forever changing and evolving, pandemic aside. What role can philanthropy play in ensuring that Sunderland delivers on its strategic ambitions?
Helen’s gift is the most vivid example of exactly that. Helen generously contributed to our Christmas appeal so we can see philanthropy being hugely significant at the scale of the gift Helen gave us, but we can also see its significance in supporting students and their families in greatest need. What was particularly nice in the We Care at Christmas campaign was how it touched a chord with staff and a lot of staff gave to that appeal. As Helen said, all of us have been affected by the pandemic, but for those working in the university, our lives have not been disrupted anywhere near as much as other people. There’s a way to tap into that general concern that we are in it together and we need to help each other. Maybe philanthropy will be shaped more in that direction in the future.
Helen, we are all living through strange times, and the pandemic has had an impact on everyone. Looking ahead, do you think that the pandemic will have changed the approach that philanthropists might take – has it altered your thinking, Helen?
For me, it was the chance to reflect and look at how it was affecting others. I became more aware of the hardships people go through and looked for ways I could help. I think for charities it means they must start thinking outside the box on how they attract new donors and develop new income streams. I’ve just written a book, a thank you for the people who worked for me over the years, called Making a Difference Together. It's light-hearted but brings out little stories of staff who did so well and how we cared for each other as a family. How together we achieved success and made a difference.
Cairney & Company Comments:
The University of Sunderland, along with philanthropist Helen McArdle, have done something important, something that both the University and the McArdle family benefit from and enjoy. Would it have happened without the input and drive of two vice-chancellors Chancellors in succession? We doubt it. Would it have happened without a number of others across the University being part of the team and understanding their important role in building a strong relationship? We doubt it.
This example feels like one where the University approached it as ‘part of the day job,’ and part of the culture of the institution. We wish the leadership and the wider team at Sunderland every success on building on this amazing gift. We also wish Helen and her family every success as they continue their thoughtful approach to their philanthropy and its impact on the lives of ordinary people.