Straightforward application of simple economic concepts can explain relationships between expenditures and gift revenues, including those related to predisposition and capacity, and has practical applications in interpreting costs. (Author/MSE)

As the demand for qualified college fund raisers intensifies, institutions are turning to executive search firms. Professional recruiters increase access to candidates, can be persuasive, act as a buffer in salary negotiations, and free senior administrators from time-consuming personnel work. However, some firms show less responsibility than…

Although volunteers serve many useful functions in fund raising, soliciting gifts should be left to staff. Volunteers are hard to recruit, keep, motivate, are unreliable, lacking in expertise, and they can balk at the realities of development tasks. Development offices should carefully think through the appropriate roles for these individuals.…

This article analyzes fundraising as an emerging professional activity in career development services and suggests possible remedies to problems in this area. A basic premise is that program directors need to broaden their efforts to increase budgets by taking a proactive approach to potential private sector funding sources and constituencies. (CT)

Emory University (Georgia) has advanced its fundraising by leveraging a $2 million challenge from the Coca-Cola Foundation. The school publicized the challenge, made the case for an added incentive to give, and integrated advancement functions to get greater results. Challenge grants can come from industry, foundations, and alumni; and careful…

The concept of program life-cycle management is applied to college fund raising. Program life-cycle stages (introduction, take-off, maturation, saturation, decline) and fund-raising steps (identification of objectives, targeting of markets, estimate potential for contribution, organization, strategy development, fund-raising performance…

Four major trends in corporate funding that may be seen as problems for higher education are outlined. Trends include corporate downsizing, decreased corporate giving, fewer one-time gifts, and increased emphasis on elementary secondary education. Specific examples are given of institutions turning these potentially negative trends into…

Arguments for and against formal alumni chapters are outlined. Pros include increased membership, better leadership, and strengthened development potential; cost effectiveness is possible. Cons include direct and indirect costs; informal alumni structures are seen as equally effective. (MSE)

Five ethical dilemmas in college and university advancement are outlined, and responses of professionals to each are cited. Dilemmas include renaming a building, originally named for a generous donor, in honor of another donor funding renovation; paying for copying of sensitive documents; use of designated donations; handling of a donation made in…

Five situations are posed in which a college advancement administrator must make an ethical judgment. They involve renaming a building named after a graduate, use of personal versus institutional funds for a sensitive information search, use of unrestricted gifts, respecting donor intentions, and candor in information dissemination. Readers are…

Six examples of ethical conundrums in college fund raising are used to illustrate how different advancement professionals in private elementary/secondary and higher education would handle ethical problems. Issues addressed include competition between institutions, prejudice, personal privacy, scandal, and conflict of interest. (MSE)

Both centralized and decentralized college or university development programs have advantages, depending on the nature and needs of the institution. Changing program structure may have consequences that reach far beyond fund-raising details. A survey of 10 institutions revealed some common characteristics and many hybrid forms of organization.…

Advancement services, the group of functions that support fundraising and alumni relations, has evolved to include donor relations and stewardship, data processing analysis and programing, budget development and analysis, and event management. Centralizing these services under a single manager can lead to greater productivity. (MSE)

College and university fund-raising programs that combine some characteristics of centralization and some of decentralization can be very successful and also pose unique administrative challenges, as illustrated in the experiences of a number of diverse institutions. Collaboration and clear communication are keys to effective administration. (MSE)

Volunteer fund raisers for colleges bring enthusiasm, perspective, motivation, and influence to the task of soliciting gifts. They stretch staff time, fill out the fund-raising team, and cost little. Careful definition of responsibilities, recruitment, training, and monitoring and rewards for good work are essential to getting the best results.…