Advancement Services Report

Fund Raisers See Drop in Giving in 2008-9 but Expect a Turnaround

2009-07-17T11:13:00.001-04:00

As colleges calculate their fund-raising totals for the fiscal year ending June 30, fund raisers are predicting that private money raised during that time will be about 4 percent less than the amount raised the year before, according to a survey by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Full-text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.16.09. [Subscription required.]

U of Louisville Got $156 Million Through Foundation

2009-07-13T13:14:00.001-04:00

Since 2004, private foundations, estates of wealthy families and the health-care industry have given more than $100 million to the University of Louisville Foundation to fund a broad range of university research and studies.

Full-text article by Nancy C. Rodriguez is available via The Courier-Journal, 7.12.09.

Colleges Will See a Decline in Megagifts, Experts Predict

2009-07-13T13:11:00.001-04:00

Fund raisers will need to focus more on donors who can give from $100,000 to $999,999, said speakers at the annual conference of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Full-text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.13.09. [Subscription required.]

Web of Family Ties Can Inspire College Donations, Study Finds

2009-07-08T10:12:00.001-04:00

In a study of alumni giving, two economists found that an array of family connections to a college can trigger years of generosity. The report could complicate the debate over legacy preferences in college admissions.

Full-text article by Peter Schmidt is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.8.09.

Nacubo Meeting Attendees Say Economic Downturn Is Not All Bad News

2009-06-30T09:42:00.003-04:00

Construction costs are down, and public colleges are benefiting from higher enrollments, officials say.

Full-text article by Goldie Blumenstyk is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.30.09. [Subscription required.]

The Clash Of Ages: How Technology Divides Workers

2009-06-24T17:52:00.001-04:00

If you're a boss, what do you do about employees who love to tweet, text and social network throughout the day? It's a question companies are grappling with as the generation gap threatens to create a communications divide.

Full-text article by Joshua Brockman is available via National Public Radio, 6.22.09. (Audio also available).

I'm Going to Harvard. Will You Sponsor Me?

2009-06-16T09:17:00.001-04:00

Unithrive, a nonprofit site that is the brainchild of three Harvard graduates and which made its debut last month, matches alumni lenders and cash-strapped students, who post photographs and biographical information and can request loans up to $2,000.

Full-text article by Allen Salkin is available via The New York Times, 6.12.09.

Tufts U. Finds Success in Building Up Overseas Alumni Networks

2009-06-11T09:35:00.002-04:00

With graduates all over the world, Tufts University has expanded its alumni-relations office and placed a high priority on international networking.

Full-text article by Beth McMurtrie is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.11.09. [Subscription required.]

Princeton Alumni Association Introduces iPhone-Friendly Web Site

2009-06-10T09:37:00.002-04:00

Princeton University's information-technology office developed an iPhone-friendly Web site for alumni celebrating class reunions at the university’s campus this year. The app enables alumni to access event schedules, maps, and news alerts on iPhones and other smartphones.

Full-text article by Erica R. Hendry is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.10.09.

Facebook Brings in Payment System

2009-06-05T09:28:00.001-04:00

Facebook has begun tapping a new revenue stream with the introduction of an internal payments system, a move that might help the fast-growing social networking website achieve profitability while being less reliant on advertising.

Full-text article by David Gelles is available via The Financial Times, 6.2.09.

The Future of Direct Mail

2009-06-03T09:33:00.000-04:00

Predictions that direct-mail returns will drop by up to 40 percent over the next five years have prompted a spirited debate on Frogloop, a blog about nonprofit online marketing, notes Prospecting, the Chronicle’s online fund-raising column.

3 Reasons For Prospect Research Before The Economy Improves

2009-06-01T09:31:00.001-04:00

Nonprofits are coming around to the notion of prospect research is to fundraising what the research and development (R&D) department is to a for-profit corporation, according to Tony Glowacki, CEO at Bethesda, Md.-based WealthEngine.com.

As prospect research services are made more available, more nonprofits are starting to use them, Glowacki said. “That value proposition is taking a stronger hold in the market,” he said. It’s important to look at prospect research regardless of whether stock or real estate markets are down.

Full-text article is available via The NonProfit Times, 5.28.09.

The Young Alumni Fund Raising Challenge

2009-05-19T13:35:00.002-04:00

The job market is terrible for new graduates and young alumni, but development offices still want them as donors. At many institutions, this is leading to campaigns to get as many people as possible to give small amounts, such as $20.09 to symbolize this year. But there are also colleges that have decided this is a time to forget about participation rates and go for dollars.

Full-text article by Kate Maternowski is available via InsideHigherEd, 5.19.09.

Millionaires No Longer Feel Wealthy

2009-05-19T09:21:00.001-04:00

A new study by Fidelity Investments finds that millionaires don’t feel wealthy anymore, largely because of the global financial crisis.

Full-text blog post by Frank Rich is available via The Wall Street Journal, 5.6.09.

Five Steps to Developing a Powerful Social Networking Strategy

2009-05-18T09:40:00.001-04:00

Creating web communities can help you build relationships of value with your most important constituents. Colleges and universities would be wise to develop networks that have the same kind of power that commercial networks like Twitter or MySpace do—the power to attract members who will broadcast network benefits throughout the digital ecosystem, attract other members, and create an ongoing community that feeds marketing and recruiting efforts.

Full-text article by Fritz McDonald is available via UniversityBusiness.com, May 2009.

Unmasking Social-Network Users

2009-05-15T18:08:00.001-04:00

Social networks typically promise to remove “personally identifying information” before sharing this data, to protect users’ privacy. But researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have found that, combined with readily available data from other online sources, this anonymized data can still reveal sensitive information about users.

In tests involving the photo-sharing site Flickr and the microblogging service Twitter, the Texas researchers were able to identify a third of the users with accounts on both sites simply by searching for recognizable patterns in anonymized network data. Both Twitter and Flickr display user information publicly, so the researchers anonymized much of the data in order to test their algorithms.

Full-text article by Erica Naone is available via Technology Review, 5.6.09.

Proposals Would Transform College Aid

2009-05-07T09:57:00.001-04:00

President Obama's health-care goals may be garnering attention, but his higher-education proposals are no less ambitious.

Full-text article by Shailagh Murray is available via The Washington Post, 5.4.09.

Fundraising and the Economic Climate

2009-05-07T09:49:00.001-04:00

CASE examines the impact of the current economic climate on institutions and advancement.

Full-text article is availabe via CASE.org, May 2009.

Index Quantifies Record Increase In Startups In 2008

2009-05-04T09:32:00.002-04:00

The annual Index of Entrepreneurial Activity released Thursday by the Kauffman Foundation revealed that 2008 saw an increase in startups, the biggest increase since the foundation began tracking the activity in 1996. More lower-income than higher-income ventures started, a sign that many people turned to enterprise because job openings were scarce as a result of the recession.

Full-text blog posting by Kelly Spors is available via The Wall Street Journal, 4.30.09.

Giving by Richest Britons Up 8% in 2008

2009-05-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

Britain’s top 100 philanthropists gave the equivalent of a combined $315.5-million last year, an 8 percent increase from 2007, Third Sector Online reports, citing the Sunday Times’ annual Giving List.

Colleges Using Technology to Recruit Students Try to Hang On to the Conversation

2009-05-01T10:08:00.002-04:00

Higher education traffics in reputations. To thrive as an institution means keeping up with competitors while setting yourself apart. But as good as colleges have become at building brands, the game is shifting to social media, where there is perpetual motion and little control.

Full-text article by Sara Lipka is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 5.1.09.

It's a Lousy Time to Sell Your Business

2009-04-28T16:44:00.001-04:00

Get ready to face a sour market if you're hoping to sell your business. In the first quarter of 2009, the number of sold small businesses fell 36% compared to a year earlier, according to marketplace site BizBuySell.com.

Full-text article by Emily Maltby is available via CNNMoney.com, 4.27.09.

Colleges Weigh 'Yes We Can' Approach to Fund Raising

2009-04-21T10:16:00.002-04:00

President Obama's campaign consultants bring their message of better fund raising through technology to the college campus.

Full-text article by Marc Perry is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 4.21.09. [Subscription required.]

Security in Troubled Times

2009-04-13T10:00:00.002-04:00

Article investigating the state of IT security. How are institutions coping? What are their plans? What impact does the economy have on IT security?

Full-text article by Doug Gale is available via Campus Technology, 4.10.09.

New Study Sees Surge in E-Mail Outsourcing

2009-04-13T09:57:00.001-04:00

Academia has seen “explosive growth” in the outsourcing of student e-mail systems, according to a new study.

Full-text blog post by Marc Perry is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 4.9.09.