Creating a comprehensive ask for annual fund gifts is beneficial for both schools and donors. By doing so, families can understand the reasons for giving and schools can reduce staff time by having one ask instead of multiple throughout the year. Having conversations with donors regarding the ask can also inform future giving success. 

A solution to ensuring educational philanthropy and engagement workforce stability is considering candidates with transferable skills, says Ann Synder, CASE Senior Director, Communities Engagement. But what sorts of skills make someone good at advancement? Find out how to assess data-driven and strategic thinking, drive and follow-up, listening skills, and more when hiring to attract talent that will infuse the advancement industry with new ideas.

In the world of advancement, participation rate measures how many people in a particular constituency make a gift to a campaign or annual fund. Schools tend to look at parent and alumni participation rates—but participation rates don’t tell the full picture of an institution’s fundraising progress and health. It’s an indicative data point—but not necessarily one that will predict future performance. Instead of over-relying on participation rates, schools fundraisers should ask five questions to examine other data points and broaden their perspective. 

What does serving hot dogs in a fine dining restaurant have in common with advancement? Both can involve "unreasonable hospitality," a mindset I invite you to adopt as you think through this next season. Encourage your colleagues to join you in a journey that can transform your practice and help you exceed your goals. 

Gain insight on how to reach out from the advancement island to build the often-mythical two-way bridge between the external offices, and the academics and student life offices.