Ideas for managing the college or university fund-raising budget include evaluating the current budget for effectiveness and adding to the budget through such means as billing for services, borrowing from current funds, using early interest on gifts, "taxing" incoming gifts, raiding a discretionary account, using a windfall, using early gifts, and…

Discusses the implications for planned giving of the new Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Describes changes in income, estate, generation-skipping, and gift tax regulations and their consequences for estate planning. (EV)

The future of American higher education now depends on its ability to attract more and larger gifts for endowment. Comprehensive strategies that include all the ways to increase endowments are presented. (MLW)

Flexible endowments are a form of planned giving agreement letting highly motivated donors give endowment-level funding to colleges and universities before they are able to make an outright gift. The donor commits to giving the institution the amount of money an endowment would have generated each year until the endowment principle is fully…

To raise money for endowment, there needs to be a mix of strong leadership, solid fund-raising technique, and confidence-inspiring endowment fund management. These ingredients have helped Berea College increase its endowment to more than $100 million. (MLW)

A donor-advised fund, increasingly popular for college giving, can be used by donors for immediate tax benefits and flexibility in charitable giving. The donor makes an irrevocable gift to the fund, which is considered a charitable organization, and the fund administrator invests the gift. The donor specifies the amount to be given and the…

An overview of the management basics every alumni director needs is presented, including: staffing, planning, managing money, budgets, and facilities management. (MLW)

A tax professional experienced in trusts advises college and university fund raisers and public relations professionals on trust management issues and their role in the trust relationship. Focus is on communication with the donor and on solving situation-specific problems. Examples are offered. (MSE)

Two reports on institutional fund raising ("The Quest for Major Gifts: A Survey of 68 Institutions," 1983, by Addison L. Winship II, and "Seeking Major Gifts: How 57 Institutions Do It," 1991, by Anne W. Altizer) offer examples of how a healthy college endowment provides stability through difficult economic times. (MSE)

College fundraisers can enhance their planned-gift negotiation by focusing on donor concerns, knowing the variety of gift options available, and presenting them effectively to the prospective donor. With this approach, it is possible to choose the solution that most benefits both donor and institution. (MSE)

Successful college endowment fund raising requires getting more gifts from high-level donors and bringing more donors into the fold. Institutions use a variety of approaches, including greater emphasis on general giving, endowment campaigns, state matching grants, and special programs to introduce endowment giving to a larger audience. (MSE)

After a college or university has received the large gift it has solicited, there are still a variety of follow-through tasks to attend to, including considering an appropriate sign of appreciation, notifying campus officials and encouraging them to send thank-you notes, creating a payment schedule, keeping the donor apprised of progress toward…

Four common services offered by college alumni associations for their alumni (credit cards, telephone services, mortgages, and insurance) can provide benefits to alumni while they raise money for the institution. Considerations in planning such services include what products to offer, choice of company, customer service standards, end-of-contract…

Revised Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) standards for reporting college and university fund-raising income take effect in July 1997. Some of the changes affect what front-line fund raisers say to donors and what they ask them to sign. The major change is to present-value calculation of gifts, critical in reporting planned…

College and university planned giving program administrators are advised to establish an advisory committee of financial professionals (attorneys, certified public accountants, brokers, investment advisors, financial planners, trust officers, insurance professionals) to act as a source of referrals, advice, and program support. Member selection,…