Three strategies for conducting research on private gift fund raising in higher education are discussed to promote interaction between institutional researchers and fund-raising officials. Attention is directed to: progress on standardized reporting for cost-effectiveness research; applications of a model for measuring effort, performance, and effects of fund-raising programs; a study of foundation support in private liberal arts colleges; and a study of educational fund raising in church-affiliated colleges. The three strategies consist of a process model, a predictive/ prescriptive model, and a purposive subsets model. The Jacobson process model is advantageous to researchers who wish to consider system changes over time and it also allows decision makers to state program objectives in terms of indicators. The Dean study of small church-related colleges advances a predictive formula for determining fund-raising potential and presents modifications in the formula that allows it to be used prescriptively to examine fund-raising potential and to maximize efforts directed at obtaining funds. The purposive subsets approach by Mack focuses on samples of Liberal Arts II colleges and foundations. A five-page reference list concludes the document. (SW)