Using crowdfunding as a source of research funding is becoming a more and more important part of the landscape of higher education institutions. The relevant literature indicates that the success of the entire initiative mainly depends on the initiator. Despite this, it is not clear what challenges are related to crowdfunding in research and what…

Student-run advertising, public relations or integrated communications agencies at colleges and universities give students hands-on client experience, help them develop their professional skills and provide students with an understanding of how to work within an agency structure. For faculty advisers, managing a successful student-run agency can…

Most administrators in higher education get to leadership positions by traveling paths that do not have anything to do with philanthropy and development. Having worked their way up through the academy, institutional leaders do not always have a frame of reference for understanding the nuances of development. In this article, the author discusses…

In this article, the author discusses how campaigns soar, in ambitions and scope, as donor requirements grow more exacting. For a glimpse at the direction in which college and university fundraising campaigns are headed, take a look at the University of Colorado. The university system's foundation is conducting its most ambitious campaign, joining…

Community colleges are often viewed as the gateway to higher education as well as institutions that can rapidly prepare students to enter the workforce. Yet, in spite of widespread acclaim for their effectiveness and success, community colleges have done very little to garner volunteer and financial support from their alumni. Admittedly, many…

A prevailing notion among higher education leaders is that public relations and marketing efforts must be intensified to boost legislative support for colleges and universities. However, this view fails to consider whether the academy might increase its standing among legislators and the general public by becoming more productively engaged in…

As the director of alumni affairs at the University of Waterloo, the author had two questions to answer: How engaged are the university's alumni, and how can advancement professionals double the current level of alumni engagement and alumni giving? The author explored these questions, found answers, and implemented the solutions. This was the…

As protesters across the Arab world demand an end to autocratic regimes that have drained universities of resources and suffocated critical thinking, scholars see some hope of an Arab renaissance and a new opening for American involvement. From the ancient Library of Alexandria to a new Islamic-arts museum in Qatar that holds 700-year-old…

Any organization must build a good reputation and image in order to "anchor" its relevance and indispensability in the minds of a wide variety of audiences. Many commercial organizations maximize opportunities to raise favourable awareness about what they do--and their techniques and approaches can be applied to libraries. Examples from…

When it comes to raising money for college and university athletic programs, every professional knows how the game is played. Tickets drive the bus. In exchange for gifts, donors typically pay seat-licensing fees. This kind of "quid pro quo" giving--where generous contributions put one in position to buy good tickets--is a very common model," says…

Annual giving is the number one indicator that someone will make a major or planned gift. Annual funds are the meat and potatoes of fundraising. But if the annual fund has recently taken a backseat to major and megagifts, the recession made a bad situation even worse. Today, most annual fund performance indicators have plummeted. Virtually all…

The fall of 2008 was a bleak time for college and university leaders. While there was little doubt that state funding would be down for the foreseeable future and general agreement that endowments would take a long while to recover, no consensus existed about the potential impact of the financial crisis on college and university development…

Annual giving is defined as support for the current operations of a college or university. The annual fund constituency is described (alumni, parents, friends, and, perhaps, corporations and foundations). The case for a strong annual giving program and its relationship to the total development program are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Using evaluation to improve performance has become a priority for Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) policy makers and practitioners in the field of public information/communication and education about development. This Policy Brief is an introduction to evaluation, with proposals on how official donors and civil society…

A novel fundraising approach for a nonprofit school for handicapped children in Hawaii includes bed racing, donation of entertainers' time for a concert, and a parade featuring children from the school. The fundraising event is also viewed as a way to fund unserved children with subtle learning problems. Suggestions are made for successful…