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ERIC Number: EJ887595
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0271-0560
EISSN: N/A
Integrating Development, Alumni Relations, and Marketing for Fundraising Success
Stevick, Thomas R.
New Directions for Higher Education, n149 p57-64 Spr 2010
At many institutions, the vice president of institutional advancement oversees the functions of development, alumni relations, and marketing and communications. University leaders expect these functions to be integrated and to work hand-in-hand to advance the institution's mission, particularly in the area of private donations. The reality is that too often these three departments operate in virtual isolation, with an almost antagonistic attitude toward one another. Historic views of job responsibilities and a lack of common goals all hamper the vice president's ability to integrate these operations for full fundraising success. Departmentally, the problem often starts at the top. Most advancement vice presidents come from a development background, with little or no experience or education in marketing or alumni relations. Development professionals might be focused on the "major gift" and "quality contacts" and not truly appreciate the impact of marketing messages or alumni programming. Likewise, alumni relations professionals may be focused on attendance at events and programs. Emphasis is placed on the number of participants, not the potential impact of the people in the room. Marketing and communication offices are populated with journalists and marketers who, unlike their counterparts in the private sector, have little responsibility for the bottom line. In an era of scarce resources, the challenge is to integrate the work of all three of these departments for the goal of increasing fundraising success. Because universities lack a tradition of this type of integration, they must look for models of integration beyond the walls of academia. This chapter describes practical steps that universities can take to more fully integrate their advancement offices to increase fundraising success. The author suggests using the for-profit integration of sales and marketing offices as a model for university action.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Subscription Department, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774. Tel: 800-825-7550; Tel: 201-748-6645; Fax: 201-748-6021; e-mail: subinfo@wiley.com; Web site: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/browse/?type=JOURNAL
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Administrators
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A