New York Times (September 19, 2007) – Events originating in Warren E. Buffett’s rejection from Harvard Business School have led to a gift to a Quaker private school that dwarfs some college endowments. Read more >
New York Times (April 15, 2007) — an article about university fundraising which states that Britons give less money to charity than Americans.
American fund-raisers are helped by the ineffable thing that is school spirit. Not so in Britain, where superiority is supposed to speak for itself. Indeed, the joke at Oxford is that the only students who wear school sweatshirts are the Rhodes scholars. Read more >
From Idealware . . . These days, most event participants expect to be able to register online for events. Luckily, there are lots of tools that can help with that, from simple to sophisticated to multi-functional. We asked 11 nonprofit technology professionals what online registration tools have worked for them. Read more >
UK Task Force on Giving to Higher Education:
Interesting paper on Increasing Voluntary Giving to Higher Education in the United Kingdom. Produced by the Department for Education and Skills on behalf of the Task Force on Voluntary Giving to Higher Education.
Includes a comparison of giving in the UK vs. USA.
http://supportingadvancement.com/potpourri/UK_task_force_on_giving/UK_task_force_on_giving.htm
New “Young Alumni” Strategies
This 37-page presentation by Helen Brenneman, Director of Annual Giving, The Pennsylvania State University, gives some reinforcing details on how to best connect, and communicate, with younger alumni.
http://supportingadvancement.com/revenue/young_alumni/young_alumni_strategies.htm
If your site isn’t growing as fast as you’d like, or if your visitor numbers aren’t soaring, or your online donations aren’t piling up, consider the following . . .
| Great Ideas
Admin Service – available at an extra cost should you not have anyone to administer your site. Referral Program – can reduce your cost up to 80% by telling your colleagues of our service. Data Import – can take your existing membership list and import it into your new site so all your data is in one place. Online Payments – will allow you to accept payment for donations, tickets sales and merchandising opportunities.
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Two of the most important aspects of alumni relations are “communication” and “content“. Over the years we found that you need to communicate to your members at least 5x/year, or perhaps once per month, depending on your needs, your news and what’s happening. You also need to make sure there is information on your web site that will attract and retain alumni interest.
Alumni want to hear what’s happening at your organization, goings-on with other alumni, alumni profiles, construction updates, event details, and how they can get involved (either monetarily or voluntarily).
You need to communicate often enough to keep members coming back to the site. Here’s a schedule that works well for alumni e-newsletters, which you can send via your web site by class, or to your entire membership:
To attract alumni back to your site, use “teasers” (reference items, news, etc. in your newsletter), but then give complete detail on your site.
Finally, these sample topics may be of some help when planning your next newsletter:
For more ideas on how to make the most of your site, ask for a copy of our “Success Plan” with tips on setting up your site, conducting a kick-off meeting, launching and promoting your site, giving reunion planning assistance, and creating your own alumni activities/events.
Sales of wrapping paper, entertainment books and T-shirts have become familiar ways for schools to pay for playground equipment, field trips and even classroom supplies. Now public schools have found another way to pay for extras.
Donations. Big ones. Gifts that can pay for the sort of projects that school tax money might have financed in more flush times.
by KYW’s Brad Segall
An anonymous donor says he will make a major donation to a Chester County elementary school. But there’s a catch.
The challenge: Holy Family School in Phoenixville, Pa. has just over a year to match the $100,000 donation with another $100,000 from businesses and private donations. The donor says it’s all or nothing.
Kelly Dychdala, who is leading the school’s just-established Office of Alumni and Development, says the money raised must be used for educational purposes, to give more people a chance at providing their children with a Catholic education:
“We’re excited to be able to offer some scholarships to individuals and families that wouldn’t necessarily be able to afford to come to the school without that help and assistance.”
She says they’re calling their mission “Shepherd a Student,” and they’re already off to a good start. As word trickled out over the past week, they’ve already raised more than $20,000.
No company likes to dismiss its talented employees because of a rotten economy. But there’s a way to keep people working with you even after they stop working for you. Here is a five-point program on how to build a successful alumni network for your company.
Gone, but Not Forgotten | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.
No company likes to dismiss its talented employees because of a rotten economy. But there’s a way to keep people working with you even after they stop working for you. Here is a five-point program on how to build a successful alumni network for your company.