On April 26, 2017, Purdue University raised $28 million. That's not a typo.

An increasing number of schools have turned to compact campaigns to be agile in responding to growth and change.

Three finalists were competing for a university's advancement vice presidency. One candidate was an alumni director at a U.S. public institution with more than 300,000 alumni. The other two had worked on campaigns and closed major gifts. The alumni director was a leader in his field, had built relationships and managed teams, and understood all aspects of advancement. He aspired to become a college president. Despite his qualifications, the search committee refused to gamble on someone who lacked fundraising experience.

Here are two truisms: These are uncertain times. Fundraising is as important as ever.

Turnover can be costly. When a donor’s key contact leaves—whether it’s the president or development officer—the donor’s relationship with the institution is disrupted. The result? Delayed or decreased giving.

I can hardly believe that this year marks my 30th anniversary in the field of fundraising. Ever since I fell into a development job right out of college with my newly minted journalism degree, fundraising is pretty much the only thing I’ve done. When I haven’t been securing philanthropic gifts at work, I’ve been called into service at my church, the kids’ schools, and countless other worthwhile charitable endeavors. I guess I’m a one-trick pony in that regard. And I’ve loved every minute of it.

Have a project in need of funding? It's tempting to pitch large educational grant-makers like the Ford and Annie E. Casey foundations, but they attract a lot of proposals. Pursuing grants from smaller, regional, or lesser-known foundations, as Virginia's Radford University discovered, allows you to stand out in a smaller pool.

As massive student demonstrations against racial injustice swirled on the University of Missouri campus in fall 2015, officials worked desperately to stay on top of the rapidly evolving national story, which was alarming many alumni and donors.

Among the most rewarding aspects of our work in advancing education is creating opportunities for others. Through effective marketing and communications, ambitious fundraising, engaging alumni relations programs, and persuasive advocacy, we help institutions transform lives for millions around the world.

It's an exciting time to join the development office as its new vice president. The university is gearing up for a campaign that will transform the campus with new academic programs, buildings, professorships, and aid for students. Every trustee has pledged leadership-level gifts. The $1 billion target is a stretch but doable because the last campaign brought in $800 million.