Have you used a Flash presentation — or some other electronic method — to solicit for your school's annual fund? Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio) used a stirring Flash presentation in December 2004 to those who hadn't contributed. In the days after the appeal, Kenyon received more than $40,000 in online gifts. Do you have a similar success story to share? Or, did you try something only to discover you would do it differently the next time around?
Your campus admissions staff marketed to them in different ways. Now, how do you get them involved in fund raising? The Millennials — those graduating in the 2000s — are more numerous, more affluent, more ethnically diverse and better educated than generations before. How are you reaching out to them? What are you doing to correct recent graduates' negative perception of fund raising?
Can committees actual accomplish something? One that has is the Membership Committee of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Alumni Association. Since the group formed in 1998, membership has grown by more than 410 percent — thanks in part to the dedicated volunteers who strategize ways to involve alumni and secure membership. The committee initiated an ice cream social on move-in day, a travel program, affinity programs and more. The group’s efforts were recently recognized by The Membership Management Report. Share your success for ways to increase membership.
How are you connecting to your students on campus? Many campuses have begun periodical e-newsletters. Others communicate via paper. Still, some do it the old-fashioned way: spending time directly with students. What have you done to communicate to students effectively? What's working, and what doesn't?
