NewsVisual: UT Austin gets $500,000 from Phillips 66. Who made it happen?

Last week it was announced that the University of Texas - Austin, were presented with a half a million dollar cheque from Phillips 66, "a growing energy manufacturing and logistics company with high-performing midstream, chemicals, refining, and marketing and specialties businesses."

So what made them do it?

Apart from the fact that Phillips 66 is a Houston-based organization and has a history of supporting Texas based nonprofits, it turns out that several high level employees - including Board Members and Senior Executives - have many strong connections to constitents and trustees at the University.

What does this mean?

What this reveals, is evidence that Universities - or any fundraising organization - do not simply need to rely on constituents such as alumni to make generous gifts to their schools. They have access to a much wider audience through the connections that those constituents have.

Whilst figuring out these connections can sometimes be a long-winded process, the rewards, as this donation proves, can be incredible.