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Good board leadership can help your alumni program achieve more than you think is possible. But for most organizations, board development is one of the toughest areas to navigate. In our upcoming posts, we’ll guide you step by step through this important topic and give you some tools to use as you develop your alumni [...]
Yale University has announced an $11 million gift from alumnus Stephen D. Susman in support of new exhibition space at the Yale University Art Gallery. Part of a ten-year renovation and expansion project, the newly created Stephen Susman Galleries will rotate special exhibitions when they reopen in December 2012. The gift from Susman — a [...]
For analytics month at Bentz Whaley Flessner, we are proud to offer this Points of Practice written by our colleague, Jennifer McDonough. Her work in building affinity models for alumni relations has seen tremendous success throughout higher education. And the approach is very transferable to other nonprofits as well. We know you will enjoy Affinity Models: Alumni Relations by the Numbers.
At my first development conference over 20 years ago, a wise gentleman shared the phrase “Don’t confuse action with progress”. For years that phrase was on my desk in some manner and served as a directional beacon for various work efforts. With this in mind I have seen over and over again the need for [...]
In this issue of Bentz Whaley Flessner’s Points of Practice, author Thomas W. Grabau discusses how to track the right major gift metrics for the best donor results.
Fundraisers and their Presidents and Boards have been very nervous for the last twenty-one months over the implications of the Great Recession of philanthropy. And for good reason. The Dow tumbled about 58 percent before it leveled off in March 2009 and began a precedent-setting rally back into 5 digits. The rally lasted fourteen months but, though it got back to 11,000, it has sputtered over the last three months on a stagnant jobs market, a tumultuous political climate, the BP disaster, a flat housing market and a host of other technical and substantive issues. Donors–and institutions that must be sensitive to them–continue to be anxious. Confidence is wounded and many continue to wonder whether the wound is lethal.
Bentz Whaley Flessner’s Fall 2009 Client Advisory discusses why it is important to campaign now, the impact of the economy, and keys to fundraising success. Author M. Bruce Dreon introduces a new four-step campaign model that fits the economic and philanthropic reality of the times.
On Wednesday the Federal Reserve released the minutes from their August 11 and 12 meeting. The Fed viewpoint was that the economic recovery steps had strengthened their confidence that the downturn in economic activity was ending. This end of the recession is also the dominant viewpoint in the survey of leading economists by the Wall Street Journal.
The most serious economic recession in 70 years is forcing nearly all non-profits–colleges, universities, children’s hospitals, cultural organizations, and social service agencie–to slash budgets and refocus priorities. One of the first casualties is funding for professional development and training. And this means serious problems for staff retention and program quality are just around the corner. When the economy starts to recover, you may not be ready to catch the wave. Traditionally, most institutions have relied on conferences which deliver a smorgasbord of just-in-case training options. In times of scarcity, the expenses of such conferences call into question the value of training that doesn’t address urgent issues or quickly improve the effectiveness of your programs. Bentz Whaley Flessner has a solution. We’ve been in the business of meeting the just-in-time development and constituent relations training needs for our clients for over 25 years.
Tips and techniques for effective cold calling of donors and prospects.
