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…

Consultants offer ideas to frustrated fund-raising administrators about dealing with reluctant, uncooperative, and uninformed trustees. (MSE)

The relative success of a college fund-raising campaign in the current uncertain financial climate depends on (1) whether the college is in an economically troubled area; (2) how far the institution is into its campaign; and (3) base of giving (whether corporate, middle-income individual donors, or old money in other fields). (MSE)

Basic principles of designing a reunion gift program include beginning small, researching class prospects, gathering volunteers, determining the financial goal, communicating needs and intentions, organizing volunteers, advertising well, and making the donation at the reunion a major event. More ambitious plans can be tied into the program later.…

A Memphis-based attorney was asked for advice on the ethics of planned giving. The bottom line is that the donor's interests come first. (MLW)

The experiences of three institutions (Oberlin College, Ohio; University of Nebraska; and St. Christopher's School, Virginia) illustrate how effective a carefully developed marketing scheme for planned giving can be. Staffing, budgets, average funds raised, and average deferred gifts are reported for each. (MSE)

Suggestions are offered for implementing fund-raising phonathons which solicit prospects in their native language. The multilingual phonathon programs at the University of California (Irvine), St. Mary's University in Nova Scotia, and Concordia University (Quebec) are described, including recruitment of bilingual callers, training, and…

Large, flashy college fund drives may be falling out of favor with alumni and friends of the institution. Advancement professionals recount their experiences and suggest ways to adapt campaigns to new needs and environments. Inherent problems with large campaigns are enumerated, and the importance of clear communication to audiences on and off…

The personal career story of the vice president for advancement at Trinity College (Connecticut), an African-American woman, is told. She comments on the crucial factors in her success, the role of travel and training in her job, racism in advancement administration, and the future for minorities in the field. (MSE)

A panel of five leaders in college advancement discusses what advancement services are, their mission, integration of fundraising and information services, the role of the advancement services manager in senior administration, advancement services as a profession, professional information exchange, and future directions for advancement services.…

College and university advancement professionals comment on when their colleagues should invest in advanced education and when it is unnecessary. The practical benefits of advanced training and the clout that credentials offer are examined, and how to determine how much and what kind of training to seek is discussed. (MSE)

Strategies used by five schools, colleges, and university libraries to thank major donors personally and sincerely are described, including a photo album of the gift's results, active donor participation in planning the facility donated, presenting a crystal etching of the building funded, posting of recognition on the World Wide Web, and a…

A new Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) advisory, designed for colleges and universities to use in accounting for gifts and pledges according to new Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) regulations, is summarized. The publication is entitled "The Impact of FASB Standards 116 & 117 on Development Operations: An…

Thirty-four suggestions for making college fund raising more effective are offered. The ideas focus on conserving what you have, getting and keeping extra income; finding creative donations; cutting travel and printing costs; bargaining with suppliers; using telephone, mail, and fax effectively; using creative staffing; and monitoring resource…

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…