Perspectives

Interview with Mindi Laine Director, Centennial Circle Dartmouth College In 2014, as the 100th anniversary of the Dartmouth College Fund approached, Catherine Craighead Briggs, class of ’88, had an aha moment. What if, she thought, we asked 100 Dartmouth alumnae to each make a gift to the Dartmouth College Fund of $100,000 in honor of the anniversary? With six months to go until the anniversary,…

by Cynthia Woolbright “Our senior team has some challenges and I want to make sure that we can work together and individually more effectively. We have some interesting and challenging dynamics among those who report to me and perhaps I am not being as effective as I can.” Those comments started a recent conversation with a vice president for development and alumni relations. With an…

by Cynthia Woolbright For some of us, making the actual ask can be daunting and challenging. So, how does a gift officer forge a relationship with donors and prospects such that when the time comes to “ask for a gift,” both parties are at ease with the process? Fortunately, we can start with a set of strategic questions aimed at building the relationship with prospective donors by encouraging…

Interview with Amy Ferguson, Executive Director of Annual Giving, Boston College Ask an annual gift officer what has had the greatest impact on fundraising strategies in the past 20 years and the answer is likely to be “technology.” And the greatest challenge facing today’s fundraisers? Also “technology.” There seems to be no disputing that marketing, communications, outreach, volunteer…

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…

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 “abroad”…

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.

    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 describe a…

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 wisdom and powerful advice, books on…

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

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 singular…