Fundraising for your institution

Making the Ask

Three facts about fundraising in Higher Ed

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. –Henry Ford

1It’s Competitive

2It’s Big

3It’s

Understaffed

It’s Competitive

2.3MILLION

NONPROFITORGANIZATIONSOPERATE IN THEUNITED STATES

AND

1.6MILLION

ARE REGISTEREDWITH THE IRS

AS OF 2012

THIS VAST ANDVARIED ASSEMBLY,

EQUATES TO ABOUT

1 NONPROFITFOR EVERY

175 AMERICANS

It’s Big

1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015 2025$0

$20

$40

$60

$80

$100

$120

Giving to U.S. Higher EducationBillions

Source: Council for the Advancement and Support of Education

It’s Understaffed

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Staffing needed to realize full potential

Current

Source: Council for the Advancement and Support of Education

Three important tips to remember

Donors don’t give to institutions. They invest in ideas and people in whom they believe. -G.T. Smith

1Knowing the donor lifecycle

2Asking the

right questions

3Navigating

internal politics

Knowing the Donor Lifecycle

Asking the Right Questions Before Making the Ask

• Ask questions that build rapport• Ask questions that encourage donors to reveal

more about themselves• Ask questions that help donors delineate the

differences between their interests versus their passions

• Clarify responses• Probe more deeply using active listening skills• Encourage the donor to dream

Navigating Internal Politics

• Development staff and faculty should be on the same page

• Goals should stem from the institution’s strategic plan and vision for the future

• Work with each other to coordinate calls on donors

In the end remember it’s not about you!