Since we’re all watching, and seeing news reports and social media posts about the Olympics with all the heart-warming stories of triumph, personal bests, and achievement, now seems like a good time to check in with YOUR performance as a university Dean (or Chair!) in the sport of Fundraising. Check your achievements below against the Bronze, Silver, and Gold-winning techniques of Deans. Check off the items where you’re excelling and where you can make progress. Remember, fundraising is a skill that is learned over time and through experience. Spending an hour a week on your plans, research, and donor development can go a long, long way to helping you meet with success for your College or School.
Bronze Level
| 1. | Meet with Development staff to understand your resources. |
| 2. | Craft a general concept of your top 5 fundraising goals and objectives in need of external funds (i.e. scholarships, DEI initiatives, graduate student program, capital needs, student programs). |
| 3. | Know the current top 25 donors to your college of school. |
| 4. | Seek out faculty who have active external funding, including all grants, and get to know their project or program. |
| 5. | Be informed of all external funding requests before they are made, including all grants to be submitted. |
Silver Level
| 1. | Have regular strategy sessions with your Development officer regarding your top 5 fundraising priorities. |
| 2. | Formalize your fundraising goals (engage Development in the process) and circulate a fundraising plan to chairs and faculty. |
| 3. | Increase your donor knowledge to 40 donors, expand your knowledge of their priorities. |
| 4. | Periodically include fundraising in chair and faculty meetings. Acknowledge external funding received, grants submitted and won, and external funding opportunities that may be available. |
| 5. | Create a clear protocol for all faculty submissions for external fundraising, including assigning roles for regular tasks such as authorizing a submission or managing an external fund budget. |
Gold Level
| 1. | Have in-depth strategy meetings for top donor prospects with your Development officer(s). |
| 2. | Create a formal strategic plan for fundraising that identifies your long-term fundraising priorities for a set period of time, such as 5 or 10 years; share this plan broadly, and publish it on your college or school website. |
| 3. | Attend a Development meeting. Learn what is important to donors and read up on how to engage in a mutually beneficial way. Attend 1-3 donor meetings per quarter with your Development officer to engage top donors and prospects in your mission. |
| 4. | Create fundraising learning opportunities for faculty through mentorship, hosting development or grants info sessions, and touching on fundraising at each faculty meeting (even if it’s just to note national trends or inspiring gifts made to other higher ed institutions). |
| 5. | Assign a faculty liaison to work routinely with the appropriate Development or grants office staff and faculty who are preparing, or would like to learn to prepare, external funding requests (including fellowships). Offer a course release or other incentive for assuming this role. |
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