the key to securing major gifts: action

More and more, alumni are giving their hard-earned money to their alma mater not because they believe in the cause, not because they are loyal to the institution (although these things are also necessary), but because they see action taking place. Our alumni are sophisticated and care about making the world a better place, so they want their gifts to go to those institutions with leaders who can get things done. Lots of times we see alumni who give generous but modest gifts to an institution steadily over the years, but aren't inspired to give to their full potential until they see a big idea finally put to work.  

So what can advancement officers do to both spur action and make sure our alumni see it?

• First, we need to listen to the things the donor cares about and is intrigued by (as I wrote about in this post). 
• Next we need to have the ear of university leaders to relay these things to them. Since we are on the front lines, we can often see trends when they are just beginning to form. 
• We can then offer university leaders the resources needed to take action by connecting them with alumni who can lend their advice and connections. 
• We can be task masters in setting out timelines and keeping academics and leaders on track to accomplishing these new things. 
• We can include our alumni in the strategy and planning. 
• And we can certainly report to alumni the results along the way, and give them their due praise for instigating the change.
• At this point we can often take a project to the next level when a request for support to the engaged alumni is successful. 
• And finally, we can acknowledge the donors publicly once something new is established and widely communicate the impact of the change. Which of course brings in even more support.

I've seen this happen a lot lately, as I am fortunate to work directly with a leader who is a big thinker, listens to alumni and industry, and then takes swift action where needed. It is very rewarding to allow a donor the opportunitiy to instigate change and then help make it a reality through gifts of time, talent and treasure. This is how real progress happens. And it's a lot of fun.