Advancement teams can find themselves overwhelmed by stress and information overload. Finding focus is an essential step to deal with the distress that chaotic environments can create. Recognizing the drivers for overload and dealing with them mindfully and structurally will give advancement professionals the tools to find focus. Examine the central culprits of chaos—meetings, media, management, and messages—and how to use mindfulness to address each.

Faculty members have dedicated a lifetime to their disciplines—they are passionate about their work, their institutions, and students. Who could be better to connect with and share stories of impact with donors? But many can be intimidated by fundraising. Here’s how development officers are strategically partnering with academics by getting to know them, defining expectations, and providing them the assistance they need to be confident philanthropy advocates.

A community college development director shares her thoughts and tips on fostering a culture of faculty involvement in fundraising.

Advancement professionals need to be curious, spend time deepening our understanding of our institutions’ teaching and research, and get to know our colleagues leading this work. We would not exist without our academic colleagues, and without our teams, they would not benefit from the extra investment, connections, resources, and publicity. We are in this together.

In 2020, a year of unexpected disruptions, staff at Singapore’s Nanyang Technical University found a way to use the changes for a good cause. NTU’s Leave Redemption and Donation Exercise gave faculty and staff a way to donate their unused vacation time to student aid funds.

Sharing ideas for recognizing retiring faculty members and engaging alumni employees.

To creatively and efficiently recognize award-winners across the University of Toronto’s three campuses and a range of academic fields, the communications team developed a website, U of T Celebrates, to serve as a virtual trophy case.

The landscape of interim leaders is varied, but there are some commonalities across the position such as the increasing likelihood that interims will be expected to act as change agents for the institution.   

In comparison to their university brethren, community college alumni relations programs remain at an early stage. But advancement professionals at Austin Community College District and Collin College are building a greater understanding of former students’ passion and dedication for the institutions.

The new documentary The Antidote spotlights Amarillo College and its efforts to break the cycle of poverty for its students. The institution’s leaders share their thoughts on the film and how it shows the impact of community colleges.