In the late 1960s, Kent E. Dove, a new fund raiser at Indiana University, spent so many evenings at the home of his colleague Curtis R. Simic. The two junior fund raisers would talk into the wee hours about how they'd do things differently, if only they were in charge of raising money for their alma mater. Now, more than 40 years later, that's exactly what has happened. After working at several other universities--sometimes the same one--the two friends returned to Indiana University, where they have spent the past 15 years testing their ideas and smashing fund-raising records. In a long-running professional partnership rarely seen among fund raisers, the two men put Indiana University on the fund-raising map, melding small-town, Midwestern hospitality with sophisticated development approaches used by the nation's wealthiest colleges. They have transformed their institution from one that relied mostly on modest annual gifts into a fund-raising juggernaut that routinely attracts multimillion-dollar donations. Last year both men retired from their day-to-day duties, but they continue to work part time helping other fund raisers carry out the approach that helped vault Indiana into the elite ranks. In a campaign that ended in 2004, Indiana brought in more than $1-billion, twice as much as it initially sought. Now in another big drive, the university recently increased its goal by $100-million. Despite the bad economy, it believes it can raise $1.1-billion by next year. While the sour economy has dimmed hopes on many campuses, it has also slowed the revolving door among fund raisers. If more people like Mr. Simic and Mr. Dove stay in their positions longer, experts say it could help institutions better weather the recession.