Perspectives

Associate Vice President for Annual Giving, Alumni Relations and Engagement University of Rochester Martha Krohn has a philosophy about annual giving and alumni relations: they should be integrated. At many colleges and universities, these two areas are distinct with distinct goals, programming, staff and responsibilities. Not so at the University of Rochester, where the two have been brought…

Cynthia Woolbright discusses the role that staff play in supporting the Advancement Committee or Development Committee of a Board of Trustees.

Senior Vice President for University Advancement Boston College When asked about what percentage of his time he allocates to three of the primary responsibilities of a VP for Advancement (delivering vision and leadership, supporting the work of president and board, and cultivating and stewarding donors) Jim laughingly replies he spends “100%” of his time on each. It was a clever quip, but in…

Executive Director Regional Advancement University of Rochester There was no hesitation in Marlies Sullivan’s answer when asked to name the key elements of an effective and sustainable leadership annual giving program. Marlies manages a team of major gift officers for Regional Advancement at the University of Rochester. Building a program that meets or exceeds campaign goals (which U of R…

Despite the increasing diversity among students and faculty on our college campuses, Boards can remain stubbornly homogeneous. To bring greater depth of perspective, experience and effectiveness Boards need to start with a commitment to more diverse representation reflective of the campuses they govern.

Lil O’Rourke President University of Rhode Island Foundation Despite some recent declines in international student enrollment in American colleges and universities, the most recent IIE Open Doors study reports 1,094,792 international students were enrolled in 2017/18.* As our campuses have become increasingly international over the past decade or more, with students who study…

    In my earlier blog on “Hiring for Attributes” I identified six key attributes (below) that all strong job candidates should possess. But how to ascertain in the span of an interview whether the candidate meets your qualifications requires proficient interviewing skills. Here are some suggested questions you might ask aimed at revealing a candidate’s: Integrity Please…

Women are becoming more of a force in philanthropy than ever before - and as fundraisers we need to pay attention.

Kelly Gagan Vice President for Institutional Advancement Nazareth College, Rochester, NY Hundreds of books have been written on leadership. Some of them have even become best sellers with familiar titles: “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” “Superbosses,” and “Lean In” to name a few. Filled with…

When it comes to major gifts strategies, preparing for the ask is a critical step in the solicitation strategy. Cynthia Woolbright discusses four key questions that will help guide the process and maximize the potential for a successful conclusion.

Holly Wolk, SPHR Sr. Director of Talent Management, Employee Development and Recruitment University of Rochester In today’s data driven world talent management is as much about metrics as it is about the psychology of getting the best out of your team. “Talent management is the science of using strategic human resource planning to improve business value and make it possible for companies and…

  Honing your hiring criteria means knowing which key attributes you are looking for in a job candidate and potential employee. Over many years of being involved in the search and hiring process, I’ve identified six key attributes that I look for in all candidates whether they are people with whom I will be working or placing on a team for client. Integrity This is probably the most…

At the end of 2016, we engaged two colleagues, Isaac Thweatt and Betsy Jackman, to speak with us about two seemingly disparate subjects: engaging alumni, and coaching advancement staff. The juxtaposition of the two conversations revealed something a little unexpected: the two pursuits are more closely related than one might think. Whether creatively engaging alumni to ensure a lasting bond with…

Cynthia Woolbright discusses five key leadership qualities as defined by best selling author Adam Bryant, New York Times weekly columnist and author of The Corner Office, in which he reveals the keys to success in the business world.

Cynthia Woolbright discusses five key leadership qualities as defined by Adam Bryant, the author of The Corner Office.

Cynthia discusses the management of human talent and how to measure for effectiveness of job done.