Chapter 08: The Office of Development: What Has Been Achieved and Today’s Focus on the Moon Shots Program
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Description
Mr. Mulvey reflects on what the Development Office has achieved under his leadership. He notes that the Office has raised over three billion dollars to fund research, care, and capital development. It also has great credibility and understands the MD Anderson’s stakeholders.
Next, he explains that the Office will be expanding from thirty-two fundraisers to fifty-five plus individuals to meet the needs for the institutional priority: Dr. Ronald DePinho’s Moon Shots Program. He explains the process of identifying the best way to communicate with donors about the Moon Shots. He lists individuals involved in this collaborative process today and over the years.
Identifier
MulveyP_02_20150519_C08
Publication Date
5-19-2015
City
Houston, Texas
Interview Session
Topics Covered
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Building the Institution; The Administrator Career and Accomplishments; Donations, Gifts, Contributions; MD Anderson History; Portraits; Building/Transforming the Institution; Growth and/or Change; Discovery and Success; The Business of MD Anderson; The MD Anderson Brand, Reputation
Transcript
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Okay, yeah, no problem. No problem. Well, I wanted to ask you, too, what’s your view of what the—what had—what Development has achieved, both internally and externally, over the course of your time, really, as leader of this office?
Patrick Mulvey:
What we have achieved. You know, I think on a num—on a number of levels. Financially, we have provided this institution, over my tenure, probably as—I don’t count these numbers, but maybe three or more billion dollars to fund the research, the capital, and the patient care, and education, and prevention needs of this institution. So, we’ve pro—we have helped facilitate the relationships to provide a significant financial resource to those who do the hard work here at the institution. I think we’ve built an office that has garnered, you know, significant credibility amongst the faculty, and that—you know, we s—we are here to serve the institution. And so, I think that that’s an important relationship that needs to be nurtured.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Is there some—can I interrupt you just for sec? Is there something that you think the rest of the institution—the department-level divisions—could learn from the way you work here? Your understanding—this office’s understanding of what leadership and relationships are all about—is there something that others could learn from you?
Patrick Mulvey:
Well, you know, I think that they’re excellent at what they do. So, you know, our business is all about relationships, and their business is about relationships, too. So I’m sure we can all learn from each other, you know, in that re—and we have. And we have, too. We are able to raise dollars here for this institution because of the faculty of this institution. If it weren’t for the faculty and the caregivers of this institution, we wouldn’t raise—we wouldn’t—maybe we’d raise some money, but we wouldn’t be as successful as we have been. And so, you know, all the credit goes to them, not us. And that—we—we’re good at facilitating relationships, but they’re the ones who provide the expertise, and they’re the ones who people write the checks for their work. It’s not Pat Mulvey’s work, [laughs] I can assure you of that. And so, you know, the importance of understanding who your stakeholders are is another thing that we’ve been able to do here, so that—I mean, those are important audiences out there for this institution. And this institution is a public institution that represents all walks of life. And we treat individuals from all walks of life. And so, we should represent all walks of life, and we do—we do that to s—I think, going back to your question about some of the things that we’ve done well, I think we’ve been able to help built that community and built that group of stakeholders. You know, and those people’s voices, when they vote for you, is strong. And so, that all goes into helping build the reputation of this institution. And so, we’re one small part of that.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
What are your next steps for the office, you know, in the sense of understanding how it’s gonna grow, develop, become better at what it does?
Patrick Mulvey:
Well, I think that we need—we clearly understand our marching order right now, in doing everything that we can to provide as much philanthropic support for the Moon Shots Program. I mean, that is the institution’s priority right now. And it certainly is the priority of our office. It’s the priority of the Board of Visitors, with whom we work closely. And so, we’re gonna continue to remain organized and be flexible, to the point necessary, as Moon Shots are retired, as when Moon Shots move on, flagships come on, flagships go off, and things that—so you need to be nimble in that regard. You need to have the opportunity to change with the times. But it’s also important, I think, for this office to continue to grow. If you take a look at MD Anderson’s Development operation, it’s a significant operation. We raise significant dollars. But, you know, there’s just thirty-two fundraisers in this office. And our plan calls for there to be at least fifty-five or so fundraisers in the next, you know, three or four or five years. And so, we need to manage growth, and we need to manage efficiencies within that, going back to your question [inaudible] efficiencies. And that’s not always easy—an easy thing to do.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Mm-hmm. What are the challenges there with growth within the office?
Patrick Mulvey:
Well, you know, the larger you get, you know, there’s—all kinds of management issues go with that. And a real challenge for not only MD Anderson but any not-for-profit out there in the United States right now if finding good fundraisers. They’re just—they—it’s difficult to find good fundraisers. And so, challenges to keep your business plan fresh, to find the resources necessary to grow. That means the financial resources as well as the capital resources as well as the human resources to grow. And then, to manage that operation as efficiently as we’re managing it right now, and to see to it that that operation raises more dollars exponentially to anything we have right now. So, there’s a whole lot of issues out there that you deal with in that regard.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Now you mentioned the Moon Shots being, you know, the absolute, universal priority right now at the institution.,
Patrick Mulvey:
[coughs] Yes, yes.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Have there been some special challenges or issues you’ve had to deal with, communicating about the Moon Shots and what that is, in terms of raising dollars?
Patrick Mulvey:
You know, there was a process that took place to identify those Moon Shots. And then, after the identification of those Moon Shots, the development of cases for support and budgets, and to understand, really, what a Moon Shot Program is. And I think the institution came together well in an advancement area with Communications, Public Affairs, Marketing, and Development, to develop those talking points to, first, describe what the vision of the Moon Shots is; and then, describe what those were that got chosen, and why they were chosen; and then, to be able to determine and describe the needs of those programs to achieve the milestones that they said that they would achieve to become a Moon Shot. All of those things needed to be put into a nice little package, and I think that we’ve achieved that now. And we’ve been able to raise about $240 million towards the Moon Shots Program since September of 2012. So that’s thirteen, fourteen—not quite three years. And I think we’ll continue to be able to do that. So, I think the public is understanding it. People love this bold vision. I mean, MD Anderson should have such a bold vision because of what kind of institution it is. And I believe you’re beginning to see the results of those Moon Shots. And as those results are reported out, I think you’ll even attract more and more people and attention to those Moon Shots.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Now, when you’re describing that process, obviously you—this office collaborates with a lot of other offices. Is that how—the modus operandi? I mean, is that how a development plan is put together—a program is put together?
Patrick Mulvey:
Absolutely. I mean, we’re—we are the biggest fan of Marketing and Public Affairs, because if they’re successful, we’re successful. And so, just going back again to the awareness and the messaging. And all of those things don’t come just out of Development. They need to come out of—through a true collaboration of these offices. And so, you work hard to continue to keep those offices together, and to keep those offices talking. And we’ve got some great colleagues in those others that want to cooperate, and know that they’re an important part of the success of the entire institution, not just any one program.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah, I’m sort of getting the sense of quite a machine that operates, you know—
Patrick Mulvey:
Yeah.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
—to bring a lot of things to the table—
Patrick Mulvey:
Right, right.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
—to craft that message and—
Patrick Mulvey:
Yeah, a lot of good people—a lot of good people coming together to—for—again, the one message.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Mm-hmm. Who are some individuals that you’ve really relied on, and have helped you craft that message?
Patrick Mulvey:
Over the years—in years past, Steve Stuyck, who was vice president for Public Affairs; Harry Holmes, who was vice president for Government Affairs; now, currently, Mark Moreno; Sarah Newson, who is now, you know, head of Public Affairs; of course, Alicia Jansen in Marketing—great marketer—has been very, very helpful to us; DeDe DeStefano, who’s now in Cause, but was with us for a number of years, in putting out the Development Message; now Sarah Watson. And then, of course, Dan Fontaine has been a great, great leader that we rely on here in the institution. And certainly the presidents of this institution under which I have served—Mickey [Charles A.] LeMaistre, John Mendelsohn, and now Ron DePinho—all great fundraising CEOs [chief executive officers]. And, you know, when you think about an institution like this, the chief development officer of an institution is the president, and you have to—you know, he or she is the individual that leads the charge for us. And so, the more effective those individuals are—and they’ve all been great—the more success you can get in an office like this.
Recommended Citation
Mulvey, Patrick and Rosolowski, Tacey A. PhD, "Chapter 08: The Office of Development: What Has Been Achieved and Today’s Focus on the Moon Shots Program" (2015). Interview Chapters. 1194.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/1194
Conditions Governing Access
Open
