Rate My Professor Shelagh Murray

Shelagh Murray is the Director of the Development and Alumni Relations Office at the University of Otago, a role she assumed in February 2018 following an extensive international search. With more than 20 years of dedicated experience in philanthropy, alumni engagement, and fundraising within the higher education and not-for-profit sectors, Murray brings a proven track record of success in cultivating donor relationships and securing substantial funding for institutional priorities. Before joining Otago, she served as Head of Alumni and Development at the University of Canterbury for nine years, during which she crafted and executed comprehensive strategies that enhanced alumni relations and philanthropic contributions. She then advanced to Executive Director of Development and the Foundation at Victoria University of Wellington for five years, where she continued to drive innovative approaches to resource mobilization and stakeholder partnerships. Prior to these university leadership positions, Murray worked as a senior consultant at AskRIGHT, an Australasian fundraising consultancy, from 2015 to 2017, advising non-profit organizations, schools, and universities across Australia and New Zealand on optimizing donor engagement and fundraising programs. Earlier in her career, she contributed to post-earthquake recovery efforts in Christchurch as a fundraising consultant, supporting the rebuild of Catholic parishes and the cathedral.

In her current leadership at Otago, Murray oversees alumni engagement programs, philanthropy initiatives, and sponsorship strategies, with a strategic emphasis on converting alumni connections into meaningful philanthropic support. Shortly after her arrival, in late 2018, she developed and presented a new strategy and business case for the Development and Alumni Relations Office, which received approval from the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Group. This framework prioritizes building a high-performing team to communicate donor impact stories and highlight the university's areas of excellence. Murray actively fosters relationships with alumni, corporations, foundations, and community partners worldwide. She maintains professional involvement as a member of the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ) and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and she previously served as president of the New Zealand chapter of Educate Plus, for which she was conferred Fellow status in recognition of her services to the profession and its members.