Perspectives

This article was first published July 13, 2013 We spoke with Kassandra Gove, Assistant Director of Student and Recent Graduate Programs at BU, and Stephanie McBride who serves on the BU Alumni Council and volunteers with the Recent Graduate Network on the subject of engaging recent grads in alumni programs. Knowing what a challenge this is for almost every alumni program in the country,…

This article was first published January 3, 2015. Interview with Matthew Eynon, Vice President for College Advancement, Franklin & Marshall College   Measuring staff effectiveness may have traditionally been a one-size-fits-all process, but that is beginning to change due to proactive thinking by advancement professionals like Matthew Eynon. Before joining the Advancement team at Franklin &…

By Ivonne Ambrozkiewicz, Director, Human Resources, Neighbor Works America The Woolbright Group asked Ivonne Ambrozkiewicz to speak about talent management, hiring and retention, and the challenges HR managers might face in today’s competitive employment environment. We started the conversation by quoting the Human Resource department at John’s Hopkins University definition of…

To insure adequate resources for an institution, Board members must embrace a variety of responsibilities, from making personal gifts to identifying, cultivating and soliciting private support.

This article was first published January 3, 2015. Thoughts from Sarah McMaster, Director of Marketing & New Media and Brett Moulton, Web & New Media Specialist, Mount Wachusett Community College about incorporating successful social medial strategies into your communications toolbox. Social media is no longer the buzz word du jour. It has successfully transitioned from the shiny new thing into a…

Phil Brach, Assistant Dean, School of Business and Economics, The Catholic University of America, July 2015 While it is understood that American universities and colleges are governed by Boards of Trustees, the purpose and role of the Board of Visitors may not be as well understood. The Woolbright Group spoke with Phil Brach at The Catholic University of America to learn more about the specific…

Christopher (C.J.) Menard, Chief Advancement Officer, Amherst College   “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” …Andre Gide Over the past twenty-four years that I’ve been working with international donors, there have been some distinct changes. For years, the prevailing opinion was that, as a general rule, the…

Cynthia Woolbright speaks with Diane MacGillivray about recent trends in Advancement.

Amy Bronson, Director of Recruitment and Training, University Advancement, Boston University WG: Within our advancement programs today, what are the three most critical challenges that hiring managers are facing? What are the actions that our profession might take to transform these challenges into opportunities to hire and retain the best and brightest? The re-emergence of the talent war and…

By Patricia P. Jackson, Vice President for Development, Brown University   Zoltan Acs has written a provocative book entitled “Why Philanthropy Matters: How the Wealthy Give, and What it Means for Our Economic Well-Being.” I commend the text to all development professionals, and am indebted to Curt Simic, President Emeritus of the Indiana University Foundation, for bringing it to…

Conversation with Tracy Barlok, Vice President for Advancement, College of the Holy Cross and Janis Martinson, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Lesley University   Cynthia Woolbright: Today we want to talk about effective leadership in advancement, Tracy, how would you define that?  What makes an effective leader?   Tracy Barlok: I think an effective leader is synonymous with…

Laura Anderson tells us about “Hollins Rocks,”—the school’s first ever significant fundraising effort driven by social media. As Hollins University neared the close of our fiscal year in June 2013, we received a $100,000 gift. To reach our annual fund goal of $3.1 million and engage lapsed donors, we decided (with the donor’s consent) to use the $100,000 as…

Kathleen Holtz (Northeastern) shares here experiences working alongside a very busy Advancement VP. Interview Transcript Cynthia Woolbright: Thank you very much, Kathleen, for agreeing to participate with us. What are some of the key components of your responsibilities? And have you noticed changes in recent years, and what might those be? Kathleen Holtz: Right. I consider the main points of…

This conversation explores the benefits and best practices for using wealth screening with  Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D. 
Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations 
American University; Devon Villa Gessert
Director, Research and Prospect Management
Office of Development and Alumni Relations,
American University Interview Transcript Cynthia Woolbright: So, what we want to talk about…