Basic principles of designing a reunion gift program include beginning small, researching class prospects, gathering volunteers, determining the financial goal, communicating needs and intentions, organizing volunteers, advertising well, and making the donation at the reunion a major event. More ambitious plans can be tied into the program later.…

Large, flashy college fund drives may be falling out of favor with alumni and friends of the institution. Advancement professionals recount their experiences and suggest ways to adapt campaigns to new needs and environments. Inherent problems with large campaigns are enumerated, and the importance of clear communication to audiences on and off…

In an interview, Dorothy A. Durkin, a successful marketing specialist at a major university's school of continuing education, discusses her approach to marketing, specific strategies, and techniques for using and storing information. She offers five guiding principles for reaching prospects personally and persuasively. (MSE)

The relative success of a college fund-raising campaign in the current uncertain financial climate depends on (1) whether the college is in an economically troubled area; (2) how far the institution is into its campaign; and (3) base of giving (whether corporate, middle-income individual donors, or old money in other fields). (MSE)

Suggestions are offered for implementing fund-raising phonathons which solicit prospects in their native language. The multilingual phonathon programs at the University of California (Irvine), St. Mary's University in Nova Scotia, and Concordia University (Quebec) are described, including recruitment of bilingual callers, training, and…

A new Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) advisory, designed for colleges and universities to use in accounting for gifts and pledges according to new Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) regulations, is summarized. The publication is entitled "The Impact of FASB Standards 116 & 117 on Development Operations: An…

Five college and university fund-raising professionals discuss ways in which uncoordinated solicitations of gifts from the same prospective donor(s) by different schools or departments can be avoided by planning, coordination, and communication. Advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized administrative approaches are considered.…

Suggestions are offered by fund-raising professionals on the following topics: choosing the best night for phonathons; effective teasers for envelopes; type of reply envelopes used; use of precalling postcards; letter length; return rate for mail solicitations; return rate for phonathons; and avoiding common mistakes in mail requests, phonathons,…

In college and university advancement, prospect research has become streamlined with the Internet. Searchers can enter corporate, foundation, and other sites for up-to-date information on a variety of topics. Several campus development officers have established their own home pages to share information with colleagues. Online addresses for campus,…

Presents and answers a series of questions about how the college or university development office can prepare for economic uncertainty or downturn, including insulating the major gift operations from economic decline, communicating with the administration, budget cutting, communicating with donors, helping donors cope with financial losses, and…

College and university fund-raisers offer suggestions for successful direct-mail campaigns, telephone campaigns, and fund-raising auctions. Ideas include specific persuasive techniques for different types of donors, motivational and support mechanisms for volunteers, and appealing activities and rewards for campaign participation. (MSE)

The importance of communication between college advancement professionals and fund raisers is emphasized, and some techniques are offered for resolving specific communication issues, including time constraints during travel, timely filing of reports, resistance to computers, completeness of information recorded, resistance to information sharing,…