Perspectives

by Cynthia Woolbright In the article entitled, Turning Potential into Success: The Missing Link in Leadership Development, (Harvard Business Review, November-December 2017) senior leadership at the global executive search firm Egon Zehnder cites research conducted by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) that found, “Sixty-six percent of companies invest in programs that aim to identify…

The homepage of Lynne Wester’s website cites an alarming statistic: “…the current first-time donor retention rate is 22%.” That statement should strike fear in the hearts of fundraisers everywhere. She goes on to point out that the cost of recruiting a new donor is seven times more than the cost to retain one. Lynne Wester: "Fundraisers are faced with a major problem regarding the…

Perhaps the quintessential characteristic of a fundraising professional is the conviction that he or she has the great fortune to be able to offer donors a surfeit of wonderful opportunities for investment in an outstanding mission. This attribute certainly applies to Pat Campolieta, one of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s talented principal gift officers. “One of the many benefits of…

Presented by Cynthia WoolbrightFounder & President, The Woolbright Group Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Session Overview: In the role of a responsible fiduciary, a Board of Trustees is trusted to faithfully advance the mission and goals of the institution, steward institutional resources, participate constructively in the work of the Board and its committees, represent the institution in word and…

  When you are in the middle of a $400-million-dollar comprehensive campaign, as is Tracy Barlok at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, you don’t have a lot of spare time.  So we were grateful when Tracy granted us a few moments to answer our questions about what is trending among donors right now, the competition for donors’ dollars, diversity in the donor pool, and other…

Interview with Jessie L. Brooks, CFRE, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia Spelman College has long earned the admiration and support of female philanthropists inspired by the remarkable women who attend this historic school. Women philanthropists do of course give generously to other colleges and universities, but if ever there was a shining example of…

Conversation with Josh Wyatt, University of Arizona; Amy Bronson, Boston University; Holly Wolk, University of Rochester; Amy Lavi, The University of Michigan Amy Bronson (Boston University): “Active engagement across the team: people care about outcomes and find ways to work together towards a common goal, fostering collaboration, mutual respect and willingness to not only be their best selves,…

Ithaca College’s “ring” model is designed to set students on a path to volunteerism that takes some all the way to the Board of Trustees.

Interview with Matthew T. Lambert | Vice President for University Advancement at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia With women controlling an ever-larger slice of the financial pie, university advancement teams across the country are taking a hard look at how to tailor fundraising strategies to meet the priorities and interests of women donors. When Matthew Lambert returned to his alma…

Interview with Sylvia Racca | Executive Director, Dartmouth College Fund at Dartmouth College Kathy Howrigan | Senior Consultant & Principal, Analytical Solutions, Marts & Lundy As consultants in development and fundraising, we know that when it comes to the area of annual giving, best practices are continually changing and the way that a potential donor is approached varies. Therefore we wanted…

Interview with Jen Hall, Director, Regional Development, The Wharton School Transparency. Accountability. Impact. These are the three primary requirements major donors expect in return for their giving, according to Jennifer Hall, Director, Regional Development at The Wharton School. “It’s not enough now to say, ‘You’re supporting the mission of the school,’” Hall explains. Donors…

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…