Increasingly, colleges and universities are screening trustee candidates to find those who will make a financial as well as philosophical commitment to the institution. Some feel trustees should make substantial gifts to the annual fund, that the institution should be among the trustees' largest gifts, and that trustees should help solicit…

Colleges and universities are increasingly seeking donations from young entrepreneurs, using nontraditional approaches, and some have been very successful. Others have alienated wealthy young alumni by being too aggressive. Youthful entrepreneurs who do make gifts tend to time their donations to business events rather than to life events. (MSE)

The job of a college or university planned-giving officer is to seek gifts that the college will receive after the donor's death. It requires substantial interpersonal skills, legal and financial knowledge, and understanding of donor attitudes. While dealing with potential donors requires great tact, the gifts are often substantial. (MSE)

Increasingly, in response to donor concerns, college fund raisers are purging from their files donor information that is not directly related to gifts and may be sensitive if released under subpoena for probate court or open-records laws. In some cases, the reduction in information makes fund raising more difficult. (MSE)

Predominantly white colleges have had mixed results in efforts to raise money among minority alumni. Poor response to programs among this group is attributed to alienation because of campus racial incidents, limited family resources or heavier financial obligations, and resentment of their alma maters. (MSE)

Cornell University (New York) president Frank H. T. Rhodes has been a highly successful fund raiser for the institution through his personal attributes and loyalty to the university. Rhodes postponed retirement to see the current fund drive almost to its end. Other accomplishments also distinguish his tenure as president. (MSE)

Private giving to colleges and universities increased 4 percent in 1990-91, less than the previous year's 10 percent. For some, fund raising was better than anticipated, but some generally successful fund raisers experienced declines. Private giving is more crucial than ever because public funds and tuition income are not increasing as in the…

Corporations increased their giving to schools, colleges, and universities in 1993 by the biggest margin in four years, with the increase outpacing inflation. However, some warn that this should not be interpreted as a return to widespread corporate giving. Donations in 1994 are likely to increase only slightly, if at all. (MSE)

Turnover among college fundraisers and related administrators (alumni relations, publications) has been high, with some remaining in positions for less time than a major campaign takes to complete. Some feel fundraisers, particularly those in low- or mid-level positions, are competing for higher salaries, better titles, and career development…

Public colleges and universities have been enjoying increased success in private fund raising, including some of the largest gifts ever made to higher education. Public institution officials worry that lawmakers may decrease state support as a result. Some private colleges worry that public institutions are taking too big a share of limited…

Increasingly, colleges are using new technologies, often expensive, to improve fund-raising capacity among small-scale donors. Techniques include computerized screening of prospective donors based on personal information, automatic dialing and phone-bank worker training, and sophisticated direct-mail tactics. Concern about privacy and loss of the…

Charles F. Feeney has given over $600 million to colleges and universities over 13 years through two obscure foundations, a secret kept for a decade by a small group of people. The foundations, wealthier and more public than previously because of a pending lawsuit, plan to continue existing policies, but take no new grant applications and announce…

The ethics of using information on college students' applications to determine which parents might be potential donors to the institution are debated. The exchange of information between admissions and development offices without parents' knowledge is seen by some as compromising institutional integrity. (MSE)

National trends in private support of colleges and universities indicate increased giving, but at rates barely above inflation. Data are presented on trustee gifts, dollar totals and averages by institution type in 1991-92 and 1992-93, and top 20 institutions in total giving, alumni donations, total giving per student, and alumni giving per…

In 1997 private giving to colleges and universities climbed at the fastest rate in a decade; this was the second year of double-digit growth. However, total giving to two-year colleges and specialized institutions fell considerably. Master's degree institutions, public and private, gained most. Deferred giving showed a particularly strong…