Developing a timetable for a college fund-raising campaign may be critical to success. Planning involves deciding what tasks to include, how to prioritize and schedule them, and how much time to allot, based on task requirements, institutional size/complexity, experience. Other factors include campus climate, board style, systems readiness, and…

Provides advice for small alumni offices on how to sponsor an alumni travel program, focusing on booking a travel agent, deciding where to go, using faculty as tour guides or lecturers, making time for alumni office staff to go along, remembering special touches, visiting local alumni, avoiding overt fund raising, and being prepared for problems.…

Professional event planners give advice on producing pleasing alumni special events. Planning elements include creating a theme, picking the place, finding talented people to help, thinking carefully about seating options, setting the mood, having clear objectives, drafting a detailed script, and managing last-minute changes. (MSE)

College alumni directors are finding that alumni want more than parties at their reunions and are overcoming attendance slumps with creative, substantive programing. Ideas include faculty seminars on topics of current interest, sometimes integrated with professional continuing education, alumni panel discussions, involving the family, involving…

Experience at Washington University (Missouri) illustrates the importance of careful media relations planning, including pinpointing what the institution wants to accomplish, establishing ground rules, and working with the institution's communications team to draw up a media relations plan. Planning steps are outlined. (MSE)

When crisis strikes, internal audiences at institutions of higher education need accurate information which depends on groundwork laid during good times. Key principles for emergency communication include predicting disasters by reading internal warning signs; preventing a potential crisis from growing; and preparing for smooth communications…

This article presents five basic guidelines for initiating a successful alumni merchandising program: (1) shop around for the best vendor; (2) decide what to sell; (3) manage merchandise properly; (4) watch out for risky business; and (5) get what you pay for. (MDM)

This article presents an interview with Robert Deware, associate professor of organization behavior at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, who offers advice on setting up and managing a university public relations office. It focuses on issues of office size, staffing, structure, and strategy. (MDM)

Experiences of the University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas Wesleyan University illustrate steps in planning special events. Steps include reconsider the proposed event; coordinate with other campus activities; make a master plan; know the target audience; highlight unique features; build a budget based on facts; evaluate everything; and keep…

The president of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education talks about why college advancement officers need to rethink, restructure, and communicate better about their fund-raising campaigns, in light of public perceptions that the institutions are greedy and not managing resources efficiently. Emphasis is on carefully defining…

College reunion success depends on careful planning, including (1) starting early; (2) documenting all planning efforts; (3) motivating, including, and communicating with volunteers; (4) using formal and informal meeting time effectively; (5) providing a program highlighting events planned; (6) freeing staff to be volunteer-reliant; and (7)…

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)

An estate planning seminar is a personal and cost-effective tool for alerting college constituents to a financial opportunity. Such seminars are not hard to coordinate, are a service to alumni and friends, and may bring long-term benefits to college and participants. Experiences at a number of colleges illustrate diverse approaches. (MSE)

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.…

The decision to open a University College at Creighton University is discussed. A Task Force on Nontraditional Students was set up to review the possibility of establishing a continuing education program. A list of 18 issues and questions for discussion is provided. (MLW)