Category: Blog

Donor Recognition Societies: What We Can Learn from American Airlines

by Tim Ponisciak (University of Notre Dame) A Peek Inside the American Airlines Concierge Key Program The movie Up In The Air came out in 2009, with a sub-plotline about a business traveler’s quest to achieve status as a member of the unadvertised, little known, American Airlines Concierge Key program. While most of us are busy trying to figure out how to get an extra bag of pretzels on our flights, there are a select few business travelers who are in the air so much that the airlines cater to them to make sure that every part of their trip goes perfectly. That could mean free upgrades or carts awaiting them at the gate to help them connect to flights. In the extreme case of this story from NPR, one premier member’s flight was canceled, so the airline chartered a private plane to get them to their business meeting. Of course, the airlines want to please these top tier customers to keep their business, but that isn’t the only goal. These professional travelers are usually well networked, especially with others who fly extensively. By catering to this select few, the airlines help to create word-of-mouth marketing amongst other big-time business travelers, spreading […]

What Disney, Coke, and Pixar Have to Teach Annual Giving and Alumni Relations

by Gwen Doyle Herbert (opens in new tab), Timothy Ponisciak (opens in new tab)

Many annual giving and alumni relations departments repeatedly rely on the same techniques to interest and invigorate alumni. However, the same old techniques can result in diminished enthusiasm from donors and potential donors alike. Where can advancement professionals look for inspiring new ideas to implement at their institutions? To help address this, Tim Ponisciak’s new book Innovative Strategies for Annual Giving and Alumni Relations: Lessons from the Corporate World explores: We reached out to Ponisciak this week to learn a little more about his new book and about his advice for annual giving and alumni relations professionals. Ponisciak serves as the director of graduate alumni relations for Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Interview with Tim Ponisciak AI. Tim, thanks for joining us. This new book: why it needed right now in higher education? Tim Ponisciak. Getting the attention of our constituents gets harder each year with the advent of new technologies and new forms of marketing/advertising. Higher ed professionals are competing with every corporation to stay top of mind with their alumni and donors. It’s important to be able to learn from and think like some of the biggest companies in the world; otherwise, higher ed institutions risk having their […]

A Look Inside Academic Impressions

by Daniel Fusch, Academic Impressions, interviewing Amit Mrig, President, Academic Impressions I know from talking with many of our subscribers that not all of you are aware of the full breadth of what Academic Impressions does in the higher-ed industry. Some things you may not know about AI: We organize over 100 conferences for higher education professionals a year, as well as offering webcasts, books, and assessment tools to help you do your job better. Through our events, we have provided practical strategies to professionals at over 3,000 institutions of higher education in North America. 98% of our participants would recommend our events to a colleague. Higher Ed Impact — your complimentary AI publication — has nearly 60,000 subscribers, most of them from the administrative side of the house. Everything we do, we do with a small, committed team of about 30 people. (Many people I talk with assume that we have a staff of hundreds, but that isn’t so; we are actually a very small office!) And we are looking to grow that team this fall and winter — especially our program development team, tasked with researching the challenges facing higher-ed professionals and developing conferences, courses, and curricula to […]

Dear Small College President

by Amit Mrig (opens in new tab)

Moody’s just released a report predicting that the rate of small college closings will triple by 2017. This has caused some consternation and backlash from small college presidents. I don’t plan to contest or affirm Moody’s prediction; I think what’s more critical to be aware of is that for you and other presidents of small colleges, there is not only a threat but a window of opportunity. Significant and sustained change is needed, but the change you need is within your own control. I have spoken with a number of small college boards and with many of your peers in the president’s seat. And there are five key messages that I want to share. 1. You have to differentiate.  Small, student-focused, and a beautiful campus are not differentiators. How will you compete for students in an oversaturated market? When I ask administrators and board members at small colleges what sets their college apart, they point to their tight-knit community, their close faculty/student relationships, their beautiful campus, or their culture focused on student learning. Hundreds of small liberal arts colleges also have these characteristics. These aren’t truly distinctive—they aren’t competitive advantages. You need to be talking about: 2. You don’t have […]

How to Start a Foundation Stewardship Program from Scratch

by Steven G. de Polo (opens in new tab)

What does effective private foundation stewardship look like? Grand Valley State has a tightly-knit community – and here’s how they got there. Based on their experience, read 5 steps to get started, 5 steps to get your house in order, 4 ways to learn about the community, and 4 ways to make it personal. Attending Academic Impressions’ “Corporate Stewardship: Demonstrating ROI” webcast recently, I was provoked to think more deeply about what private foundation stewardship would look like. This question has been critical to my work at Grand Valley State. After eight years, I’ve built a significant network, but that didn’t happen immediately; this is a tightly-knit community, and coming in from outside and forming that network took concentrated work. Here is what I’ve learned along the way. From Scratch to Steward: 5 Steps to Get Started Here is how you get started in foundation giving: 5 Steps to Get Your House in Order 4 Ways to Learn About the Community 4 Ways to Make it Personal Above all, listen. If you ever have the chance to hear what family foundations have to say about their work, try to go. While at Grand Valley, I have attended a couple family […]

Fundraising Planning: Taking a Longer-Term Approach

by Carolyn J. Whitehead (opens in new tab)

Experienced chief development officers know that budgeting and staff planning must take into consideration agreed-upon fundraising priorities and goals. We also know that fundraising plays a role in achieving the campus leader’s overall strategic vision. Since most campaigns or projects require more than one year to complete, budgeting and planning beyond a year at a time makes sense. Why don’t we actually do this? So, if we believe this works best, then why don’t we do it? Or, if we try, what gets in the way of following through on a longer-term approach? Has any of the following ever happened to you? You secured input from your team of fundraisers and written approval from the campus leader on your five-year plan and then: Given these common pitfalls, can we really commit to longer-term planning? I believe we can. But I have found that doing so requires communication, execution, focus and flexibility. Communication and relationship-building are the keys to the success of any development operation. We know this to be true when relating to our donors and other external constituents. Do we value it and demonstrate it internally within our organizations, especially during our planning process and execution? Ask yourself the following questions: […]

Infographic: Reaching 4 Generations of Alumni

by Luanne M. Lawrence, Senior Consultant, LML Marketing & Communications It is a complex task to reach alumni today: they fall into four generational categories, each with its own expectations around communication. Alumni staff are working hard – but often using the techniques that resonate most with Traditionals: print magazines; reunions; e-newsletters; direct mail. The ways to reach and engage alumni differ by their life experiences. Here are examples of how alumni offices need to rethink how they approach and engage four different generations of alumni: (Click to see fullsize version.) Alumni budgets are tight, and staffing is never ample, but reconstituting programming and rebuilding skills sets of staff to differentiate communications and engagement pays off. Most alumni want to engage and share their talent and knowledge. Now more than ever, alumni can actually help alumni staff extend their skills and can assist in maintaining social media, programming and other tools. Think of your community as your extended staff. Let them lead you sometimes; they carry the authentic voice and strengths of their generations.   See Upcoming Advancement Events

Donor Relations: What You “Should” Do and What You “Must” Do

by Lynne Wester (opens in new tab)

In donor relations, it’s easy to split ourselves too many ways, pursuing too many initiatives at once. Often, we begin our work brainstorming about what we must do in order to build your program? To prioritize your efforts wisely, refer to the Four Pillars of Donor Relations (covered in full in my book): In this updated version of the Four Pillars, start your journey to successful donor relations by tackling the acknowledgement. They are non-negotiables. Acknowledgement You must provide proper acknowledgement and receipting of the donor’s gift. This includes: Receipt first, acknowledgement second. The receipt is for the transaction; the acknowledgment builds the relationship and expresses gratitude. Stewardship Donors have three needs in exchange for their gifts: A proper receipt and acknowledgment are the building blocks of transparency and gratitude. But next the donor needs more transparency around their impact. Regardless of the amount of the gift or the designation of where it went, you must report to the donor how it was spent and the impact of that gift on your institution. Again, this is not negotiable. It is no longer good enough to say “we used it and it went to the area of greatest need.” Donors can see through […]

“George”: How RIT is Encouraging Interdisciplinary Collaboration

by Lisa Cook (opens in new tab), Daniel Fusch (opens in new tab)

Institutions seeking to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration in research and teaching are pursuing an array of approaches: hiring faculty into multiple departments based on shared interdisciplinary interests, launching research initiatives that provide additional funding to get interdisciplinary projects off the ground, and providing shared research spaces. One of the challenges that often remains is that faculty often work in a relatively isolated manner, with little awareness of research, faculty work, or even faculty interest outside their own department. “At first, we thought the problem was related to idea sharing. We learned that the problem existed earlier in the collaboration lifecycle − people didn’t really know what other people did across campus.”Deborah Gears, RIT The Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY has struck on a creative and unusual approach to bridging this knowledge and communication gap. RIT’s new project, dubbed “George™,” uses Scholar Trading Cards™ and a searchable faculty database to enhance networking among faculty. It is a deceptively simple idea. Intrigued, we talked with Deborah Gears, RIT associate professor, College of Computing and Information Sciences, to learn more about: George™: Be Inquisitive, Be Inspired RIT’s project begins with Scholar Trading Cards™: physical cards that feature RIT faculty and that can be shared […]

Advising: 3 Ways to Take the Conversation Beyond Registration

by Sue Ohrablo, Ed.D. (opens in new tab)

This article is an excerpt from Sue Ohrablo’s acclaimed book High-Impact Advising: A Guide for Academic Advisors After an academic year begins, advisors can start to breathe a little easier once most of the fires have been put out, questions have been answered, schedule adjustments have been made, and students are mostly settled into their classes. The anxiety that accompanies long, fast-paced days may begin to dissipate. During this time, advisors are left scratching their heads, asking themselves, “Why can’t these students register themselves?”; “Why does this student continue to check with me even though I already gave her the information?”; and, even, on the worst days, “What is wrong with these students?” As things calm down during this period, I encourage advisors to reflect on the nature of student needs, and reconsider the dynamics involved in the student experience and the role of the academic advisor. As an advisor, there are several factors you can address to reduce a student’s continued reliance on you. These are: 1. Readiness Developmental advising involves taking a holistic approach to advising and forming partnerships with students. Students will most likely not expect to engage in a developmental advising relationship, as they often view the advisor as […]

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