GAPS 2.0 — May 2026 Planning Session
Summary for Development Leadership | InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
The Alumni Development Team gathered for three days in May to build the integrated operational plan for InterVarsity's alumni development program suite. Attendees: Luke Olson, Ryan Lospaluto, Kyle VanEtten, Luke Erickson, Christine Magness, and Jon Steele. The team worked through eight structured sessions covering every component of the program — from visual identity and capacity structure to admin systems, 5-year planning, and cross-team partnerships.
The anchor goal remains: grow shared-account giving to $14.5M by FY2031 — the threshold at which GAPS 2.0 reaches full cost-neutrality and sustains meaningful investment in alumni engagement across the field.
What We Covered
- Visual Metaphor & Program Map — ratified the four-program structure; landed on the "After Party" as the team's shared visual metaphor for field-facing communication
- Capacity Planning — mapped all people-functions needed to run GAPS 2.0 at scale; designed the structure for GAPS Premium expansion (~26k regular thank-yous per year, with potential for an additional 14k through lapsed donors, staff, and other touchpoints)
- GAPS Core & Incentive Program — reviewed the transition-interview and closing incentive structures; clarified processes and data capture
- GAPS Premium — advanced Project Homecoming and lapsed-donor re-engagement; moved reporting from chapter to regional level
- ACE — reviewed operational bottlenecks, scaling constraints, and coach-capacity ceiling toward June 2027
- Admin Systems — identified automation priorities and admin-handoff functions; mapped data tracking needs and CRM architecture
- Cohesion & Long-Term Plan — began discussion on 5-year scaling and milestones; laid groundwork for a unified program calendar
- Integrated Partnerships — mapped partnership surfaces with Alumni Engagement and the broader Development function
GAPS 2.0 Program Structure
Data & Organizational Stewardship
Guiding new alumni givers into the correct lifetime partnership opportunity
GAPS Core
Staff training + incentive structures that activate giving at graduation
ACE
3-week sprint closing new alumni partner commitments at scale
GAPS Premium
Thanking + reporting that retains shared-account donors for life
Data & Organizational Stewardship
Internal metrics · giving tracks · legacy · mid-level · major gifts handoffs
Session Deliverables
Annual Communications Calendar
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GAPS 2.0 Program Flow
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What's Next
- Luke + Ryan align with Mike Zientara on the partnership surfaces identified in Session 8
- Individual action items distributed to each team member in writing
- Budget implications for any proposed hires surfaced to the appropriate approval lane
- Determine tech solutions for data tracking, input, and output