Discusses the need for the chief development officer (CDO) to have a good working relationship with the college or university chief executive officer (CEO). CDOs need to make sure that their CEOs are well prepared for meetings with alumni and donors, build the CEO's confidence, make work fun, and downplay the stress involved in fund raising. (MDM)

Suggestions for inexpensively marketing a college or university planned giving program include taking advantage of existing marketing opportunities in campus publications and mailings; using off-the-shelf marketing materials (newsletter/brochure formats); communicating with prospects individually or in groups (meetings, seminars, personal visits);…

Provides advice on how to instill the giving habit in recent graduates and how to encourage them to take an active part in alumni issues. Development officers need to keep track of recent alumni, use telephone and electronic mail rather than letters to contact young alumni, and develop special programs to encourage giving by recent graduates. (MDM)

College public relations and institutional development offices can provide media training for faculty to master interviews. Methods include providing portable media manuals to faculty, conducting workshops, providing seminars on media communication during a crisis, having journalists coach faculty, creating a section for faculty and staff on the…

Strategic planning for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education includes creation of an information system, establishment of local chapters, emphasis on professional development, improvement of minority-group representation, review of governance, development of a marketing plan, expansion of public support of education, and adaptation…

Describes ways in which college and university public relations professionals have addressed the challenge of information dissemination in an era of rapidly changing electronic communication. Others are encouraged to know their audiences, discover commonly used technologies, include television in the mix, make the most of a World Wide Web home…

Successful use of college and university World Wide Web sites for institutional development requires attention to use of staff/staff time and to site design/content/maintenance. Suggestions include using student volunteers for insight into what makes a site attractive; presenting a development viewpoint; considering users' technological…

The Internet and other technological tools are rapidly becoming an expected means of communication for college and university public relations offices. Making this transition requires conquering fears of new technology, building on existing staff public relations skills, reorganizing operations to accommodate new tasks, enjoying the new…

Out of concern for declining participation in its local alumni clubs, Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) surveyed 10,400 alumni nationally, 800 club officers, and alumni officers of 10 other colleges and universities. Resulting profiles of recent and older graduates revealed substantial population changes, suggesting the need for adaptation of…

Colleges and universities are achieving modest results in using the World Wide Web for fund raising. Suggestions for developing/updating Web sites include: providing basic information such as pledge forms and development office contacts; tailoring the site to campus and potential donor interests; using the site to support other efforts; providing…

Suggested strategies for running a more effective college alumni program include effective calendar organization; careful staff utilization; administrator visibility; increased efficiency; effective use of alumni volunteers and student workers; good office communication; broad information dissemination across campus; consistent use of priorities;…