Benchmarking Visits

The most important element of your benchmarking toolkit is the one that will require the most preparation but it could yield the most valuable information.  That is the benchmarking visit.

Benchmarking visits have many benefits.  They provide you with an  opportunity to establish and build close working relationships with benchmarking partners at peer institutions.  Going onsite to a peer institution allows you to witness their best practices firsthand. A benchmarking site visit provides you with an opportunity to exchange samples of best practices and ways you go about doing the same sort of work (and establish a relationship for doing more of it in the future). It also gives life to the work of your advancement organization.

To maximize the effectiveness of your benchmarking visit, remember these four key things:

1. Plan ahead.  Almost any day will work for your hosts (except a board meeting week)
    
2. Have a key contact at the institution that can put together your itinerary and facilitate your visit. 
   • Each individual meeting should be between 45 and 90 minutes in length.  Thirty-minute meetings are not effective. 
   • If possible, bring a colleague or two along for the visit. Often they’ll hear things that you might miss.  (Also, you’ll have an opportunity to catch your breath!)
   • Have a phone (or email) walk-thru with your host the week before the trip.
      
3. Share materials generously. Give as much as you would like to get back
   •  Create a “Binder of Best Practices” to leave behind (makes a good impression and establishes instant credibility)
   • Customize the materials you share with your benchmarking partners (personalization gets noticed)
      
4. Follow-up soon after the visit (and often)
   • Thank you note and/or email
   • Gift of appreciation (e.g., flowers, restaurant gift certificate) for key contact/host
   • Other follow-up materials that might be useful to share (additional examples of best practices)
   • Send organization-branded tchotchke’s to benchmarking partners throughout the year
   • Periodic check-ins with benchmarking partners, connect them with colleagues, engage them in benchmarking surveys