This article presents an analysis of active crowdfunding campaigns posted on ten crowdfunding platforms in May 2013 to provide a glimpse of the recent trends in the crowdfunding of educational technology startups. We describe the characteristics of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in educational technology and identify the most popular…

It often seems as though many fundraisers are allergic to the concept of measurable performance goals and accountability for development officers. However, goals are critical for individuals and organizations; without them, success can neither be defined nor understood. This article describes how one development shop improved accountability and…

"A Guide to Fundraising at Historically Black Colleges and Universities" is a comprehensive, research-based work that brings the best practices and expertise of seminal professionals to the larger Black college environment and beyond. Drawing on data-driven advice from interviews with successful Black college fundraisers and private sector…

Through an alumni-led effort called Project Search, Haverford College found 72 percent of its 825 missing graduates. The project has paid off in more than renewed alumni ties, with a 20-fold return in the first 3 years of combined annual and capital fund raising. (MLW)

A corporate relations program at the University of Rochester that uses several follow-up techniques to help keep lines of communication open and encourage corporations to stay in close touch is described. Gift acknowledgments, reports to donors, corporation visits, informational mailings, and campus visits and special events are discussed. (MLW)

A program that sent a fund-raising videotape to 1,500 University of Richmond alumni is described. Research had turned up affluent alumni in areas too remote for personal calls or visits by the presidents. The program was a success and proved cost-effective. (MLW)

Dartmouth's class newsletter program has proved to be a simple but effective way to foster loyalty, affection, and support among their alumni. The newsletters also promote continuing education programs, act as informal career and placement networks, and find lost alumni. (MLW)

A survey of the best in event ideas, settings, and themes for alumni programs is discussed. Traveling reunions at Greenhill School, a private screening of "Ghostbusters II," morning breakfasts of alumni at Purdue University, are among those described. Capturing the attention of graduating seniors before they leave campus is advocated. (MLW)

The Carnegie Mellon University's Alumni Visitation Program, which coincided with a $200-million capital campaign, is described. Student visitors asked alumni what they thought of Carnegie Mellon and told them about the university; they did not ask the alumni for money. Finding and training the students is discussed. (MLW)

A number of colleges and universities with widely varying sizes and missions have used direct mail techniques to improve fund raising. Methods include use of fund-raising themes, checklists of reasons for donating, gift clubs, and challenge grants. Attention to direct communication, image, and repetition of the message are success factors. (MSE)

Varied approaches taken to bringing vitality to direct mail fundraising campaigns are described for 10 institutions: Northern Arizona University, Georgetown University (District of Columbia); Miami University (Ohio), Kansas University, Pennsylvania State University, St. Ignatius High School (Ohio); Metropolitan State University (Minnesota),…

Washington College, a small liberal arts college on Maryland's Eastern Shore, revitalized its fund-raising program, adding an aggressive marketing strategy and a new emphasis on major gifts. They used a three-step process: assessed their situation, solidified their development program, and used that to support a big-gift campaign. (MLW)

A study by Andrew M. Greeley and Joe Spaeth in 1972 that offered clues about why people support higher education institutions was used by Brown University to improve their alumni program. A survey of Brown's seniors provides data on student attitudes about Brown and their involvement as alumni.

Brown University's Third World Alumni Activities Program is described. The program is designed to get alumni of African, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American descent involved in alumni activities, student recruitment, and fund raising. (MLW)

A planned giving recognition program lets donors know how much they are appreciated. The Forsyth Heritage Society at Texas A&M was formed in 1989 for donors who had their wills on file with the university. Recognition program descriptions include those at University of Miami, Amherst College, Dartmouth College, etc. (MLW)