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Life Cycle of Alumni: Part XII-Fundraising Law #9

The ninth of Richardson and Basinger’s laws of fundraising was:

Law #9: Fundraising out of desperation is futile. Most discerning individuals are not going “to throw good money after bad.” It is very easy to spot a desperate organization. Poor results and careless planning are the classic signs of a hopeless situation. A bleak outlook doesn’t make a compelling case for support.

This post will consider how this fits into the process of student recruitment, retention, and alumni development. In terms of alumni development, the law should be restated. Even the most loyal alumni may desert a sinking ship.

Recruitment: Student recruitment out of desperation is normally futile. Prospective students are generally intelligent enough to know when you need them more than they need you. Does a college really want students who can’t recognize failure?

Why should a prospective student commit to a failing enterprise?  Can you really blame them if they opt for an institution that has more stability and a brighter future? After all, they are betting their futures on their choice of college.

Retention: Programs and institutions that try to retain students out of desperation are easy to spot. The first sign of trouble in paradise is a rapid turnover of faculty and staff. Other indications include many cancelled classes after a schedule is published, classes not offered when the catalog says they should be, and other unfulfilled promises in terms of facilities, equipment and programs. Any of these feeble attempts to portray quality and stability is an open invitation for students to transfer to other programs or other institutions.

Alumni: Richardson and Basinger have done an excellent job at explaining why fundraising out of desperation in general is futile. With alumni, this may be true in the long term. However, “short-term emergencies” can be very effective in mobilizing alumni support.

In my more than 40 years of experience in higher education, I have observed that it is extremely “hard” to kill a college. There are three groups of individuals who will “rally around the flag” and “circle the wagons” for a last ditch stand. These groups will unite and will not go down without a fight.

The first of these groups are the loyal alumni and Board members, who have already committed so much of their time and money to the institution, so they don’t want it to fail. If the institution fails that would label them as failures.

The second group is the desperate faculty and staff, who want to keep their jobs and the lives they have built in a particular geographic place. If the institution fails, they will have to pack up their lives  and the lives of their families, find new jobs and probably move to a new location.

The third group consists of frustrated students. Even though a college can’t exist without students, in many ways the students are in the most vulnerable position. They have made a commitment to an institution that has let them down. They don’t know where to turn. Most are worried how their earned credits will be received at other institutions. How much longer will it take them to finish their programs? Will they get the same financial aid package at another institution? How much more will it cost them to transfer to another institution? Will they be able to make new friends? Will they fit into a new environment?

If these three groups can be mobilized, it is possible for a struggling institution to take the first steps toward a resurgence. In most attempts to avert institutional crises, there will be an initial burst of enthusiasm. However, one burst may not be sufficient to carry the day. It may “save” the institution, in the sense that the institution does not immediately close. However, it may continue indefinitely on “life support.”

There are typically two reasons for this result. The first is that the three groups are pushing to recreate the institution from different visions. This can be rife with new conflicts. The second reason is that if the life support only provides sufficient resources to operate at minimal levels, the underlying problems that caused the institutional crisis in the first place will not be address. Within a short period of time the institution will be back in the hopper. To paraphrase  a very effective fundraising slogan, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.”

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Life Cycle of Alumni: Part XI-Fundraising Law #8

The eighth of Richardson and Basinger’s laws of fundraising was:

Law# 8: Loyal donors are developed, not born.  Just because someone gives a single gift does not cement a bond between that individual and your organization. The development of a donor is a long, and arduous process. It involves the evolution of commitment, which comes from a change in the heart and mind of the giver.

This post will consider how this fits into the processes of student recruitment, retention, and alumni development. In terms of alumni development, the law should be restated, Loyal alumni are developed, not born.  The law reminds me of the involvement process metaphor of acquaintance, dating, going steady, engagement and marriage. So I will frame my comments around this metaphor.

Recruitment:  Just because a prospective student makes an inquiry to your institution does not necessarily signify an ongoing commitment, or even anything more than a passing fancy or interest. The term prospect alludes to the fact that this individual is looking for something of personal value, and hoping  to find it at your institution. With the ease of completing reply cards in magazines or displays at college fairs, or hitting the “Request for More Information” button on websites, prospects have likely inquired at tens, if not a hundred different institutions. Once you receive that initial inquiry, it is the institution’s job to help the prospect discover what he or she is seeking.

This can be a very complicated task, since each prospect is an individual, and most likely will have to be treated as an individual. The institution must provide the individualized responses that the prospect desires. This takes concentrated effort, along with accurate and comprehensive record keeping of contacts with the prospect. The typical prospective student doesn’t apply on his or her first contact with an institution, even though there is a rise in the number of stealth shoppers. These are students whose first official contact is an application. The stealth shopper has been researching the school via the internet, contact with current students and alumni, and even with unscheduled campus visits. It normally takes at least four significant contacts to move a student to apply.

This process for both the prospective student and the institution is like the “getting acquainted” phase of a relationship. The two parties are aware of each other and attempt to find out things about each other before one of the parties is ready to take the step of asking the other party out on a date, which is akin to a prospect applying to an institution. The first date occurs when the institution accepts the applicant. This temporary commitment permits the two parties to more fully explore their mutual compatibility.

Retention: When a prospective student accepts an offer of admission, this is similar to the “dating” stage of a relationship. Paying a deposit may come closest to the engagement  stage of relationships. It is more of a commitment than dating, or even going steady. However, it doesn’t guarantee permanency. Marriage and enrollment do not really guarantee a permanent commitment. With the number of divorces approaching 50% of the number of marriages, and with less than 50% of all matriculated students graduating from college, a permanent relationship may be hard to find. Research shows that the student that transfers once is more likely to transfer again. It takes work on the part of both parties in a relationship to maintain it.

An institution must not only provide services to students, it must make those services attractive to the students. A student must study to maintain academic eligibility. A student must also commit a great deal of effort, finances, and time to the relationship. Neither party can afford to take the other party for granted.

Alumni: As noted before, successful and committed alumni are developed, not born. The development of alumni begins while individuals are still prospective students. The institution should strive to help prospective students see themselves as successful alumni. Every year, organizations like Noel/Levitz and Academic Impressions run programs on the Development of Alumni Relations that emphasize beginning the development process before the student enrolls in the institution.

The prospective students should be encouraged to visualize what they want out of their education. Currently enrolled students should be educated as to what alumni can do for an institution and future students. If students can see the benefit directly from the giving or work of alumni, they will be more willing to give or work when they transition into alumni status. When students do become alumni, the connection phase of transforming them into donors should have already begun.. Engaging alumni with prospective and current students also helps cement the commitment of those alumni to the institution.

The idea of leaving a legacy for future generations has a strong appeal to many people. It is an idea that institutions should be encouraging through all phases of the development of successful and committed alumni.

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Life Cycle of Alumni: Part X – Fundraising Law #7

The seventh of Richardson and Basinger’s laws of fundraising was:

Law #7: Seek Investments, not gifts. It is important for donors who want to be more involved in changing the world, beyond giving a mere monetary gift. You need to look for people who will not only invest their money, but also their time and ideas. Donors will usually not give unless they know the organization. It also helps if the organization knows them. This process is called engagement. You need to engage donors in the organization. Truly engaged donors will work to introduce and involve their friends and relatives.

This post will consider how this fits into the processes of student recruitment, retention, and alumni development.

Recruitment: A college or university should seek prospective students who want to change their world and who will be changed by their campus experiences. An institution should seek students who are willing to invest their time, money and efforts in changing themselves, and not those students who will use just their bodies to fill classroom seats part of the time they are enrolled. Many prospective students today are looking to change their world and are actively seeking an institution that will equip them to do that. If prospective students do not have the sense that the institution will make a difference in their lives or will not meet their needs, they will not typically enroll. If they do enroll they will not fill the classroom seats. These students will say “No, thanks!” and take their tuition dollars with them to another institution that will serve them better and will make more of a change in their lives, so that they change their world.

Retention: Once students are enrolled, if they are not continually challenged to better themselves and equipped to change their world, they will pick up their bodies from the classroom chairs, say “Good-Bye” and take their tuition dollars elsewhere. Most of today’s students understand the ancient Chinese proverb:

As I sought to change my world, I discovered that I first needed to change my country. But to change my country, I found that I needed to change my state. However, to change my state, I needed to change my city. In order to change my city, I perceived that I must first change my neighborhood. As I sought to change my neighborhood, it was clear that I must first change my family. In order to change my family, it was obvious that I must first change myself.

So to change the world, today’s students must first seek to change themselves. They should be ready to invest their time, money and effort in changing themselves. If any institution hopes to succeed, it must be in the business of changing students.

Alumni: Alumni have already invested much of their time, money and effort in their Alma Maters as students. However, it is imperative that institutions continue to ask them to maintain  the investment of  their time, money and effort in these institutions, so that future students can receive the same education and benefits that they received. To be successful in this approach, an institution’s alumni would normally have to have been satisfied with their previous investment. To ask for additional investments to change the world, the alumni need to be satisfied that the institution helped them be prepared to change the world.

The new investment sought from alumni can be in the form of time, expertise, as well as money. You may ask alumni to serve as resource persons as guest lecturers, mentors for practica, internship or job shadowing opportunities, or as participants on advisory boards to assist in program development. Time investments can also be in the form of a volunteer recruiter, speaking to prospective students and their families, telling the story of the institution or distributing promotional materials. One area of investment opportunities often overlooked is the life-long learning opportunities afforded alumni “teaching” other alumni. Alumni can provide admission referrals to their fellow employees, to their circle of community organizations, or to the members of their professional network.

Finally the investment sought from alumni can be in the form of financial support for academic programming, for athletics or other co-curricular endeavors, for equipment and facility expansions, for budgetary relief in the areas of personnel and operating expenses, and for endowment, especially in the area of scholarships for current and prospective students.

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Life Cycle of Alumni: Part IX — Fundraising Law # 6

The sixth of Richardson and Basinger’s laws of fundraising was:

Law #6: You can’t thank a donor enough.  We must remember that donors are people. Even when they are disguised as foundations or corporations, there are people behind the gifts. One of the fundamental attributes of human nature is that people like to be appreciated. It is imperative that you express gratitude for each and every gift. Once is not enough. You must keep on expressing that gratitude in a number of different ways.

This post will consider how this principle fits into the processes of student recruitment, retention and alumni development.

Recruitment: It is difficult for a school to thank prospective students and their parents too much. However, a contact every day may be over the top. Nevertheless, multiple contacts from multiple offices keeps prospective students interested.

Prospective students are interested in a number of different aspects of college life. This opens the door to many different offices or individuals to contact prospective students and their parents, offering information and appreciation.

Prospective students want to know about academics and majors. This opens the door for faculty and current students to contact the prospective students with pertinent information from their different perspectives. Prospective students want to hear what faculty expect of students. They also want to know how current students see the school and the academic programs.

Parents of prospective students tend to be most interested in financial arrangements and career possibilities. This opens the door to the financial offices and career services to provide pertinent information and show appreciation for the interest shown by the prospective students in the institution. However, this needs to be done very carefully because the prospective students must be made to feel and believe that they are in charge of their lives.

Prospective students want to know about the campus residential, social, and athletic life. Christian students want to know about spiritual life and opportunities on campus. These provide opportunities for residential and social life personnel to explain their programming. Current students can provide a distinct view of campus life. Coaches and current athletes provide excellent voices for athletic programming. Chaplains, spiritual affairs, and current students can speak to questions about spiritual life on campus.

All of these communications must serve two purposes. They should provide information to prospective students. However, they must also be composed in such a way as to express appreciation to the prospective students for their interest in the institution.

Retention: Once a student is enrolled, the institution is not off the hook. It must continue to make the student feel as if they are appreciated. Each and every employee must treat current students as if their jobs depend upon the satisfaction of the current students with the service and treatment these students receive, because they do. If current students feel they are not appreciated and not getting satisfactory service, they will find a college at which they feel they are appreciated.

Providing great service and a sense of appreciation does not mean that an institution has to give away the store. The institution should strive to provide a quality education at a fair price. The purpose of institutional offices is to serve the students and meet their needs. Faculty should be there to help students learn. If students get the feeling that they are an after thought and an inconvenience to the faculty, they will become an after thought and go somewhere they can learn and feel appreciated.

Alumni:  Alumni are people and need to feel appreciated. If all the communications they received from their Alma Mater are requests for more money, the facade of appreciation disappears quickly. Alumni Offices must help alumni remember what they have received from their Alma Mater. They must celebrate the alumni accomplishments. They must thank the graduates for sharing their talents with the institution and society at large. As long as the signs of appreciation seem real, the institution is then in position to encourage alumni to give back to their Alma Mater so that the next generation of students can experience the same benefits that they experienced. In making such appeals, the institution should highlight prospective and current students showing their appreciation to the alumni for the opportunities which they are receiving because of the generosity of alumni, and the trail blazing that alumni have done in opening career paths and doors to those that are following.

Alumni are the fruit of an institution. They are living billboards for their Alma Maters and free advertisements. An institution must continually thank and keep alumni involved with the institution. The best way to thank alumni is to provide ongoing services, such as life-long learning opportunities; campus services like ongoing career counseling, computing services, health services or job placement file services; access to campus facilities such as the library, gym, or bookstore; or reduced-price access to cultural or athletic events.

 

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Life Cycle of Alumni: Part VIII – Fundraising Law #5

The fifth of Richardson and Basinger’s laws of fundraising was:

Law #5 Someone must close the deal. It is not enough to let our good work speak for itself. Someone must make the sale and ask for a commitment and the money.

This post will consider how this fits into the processes of student recruitment, retention, and alumni development.

Recruitment: Prospective students are asked to make at least five commitments to your institution. These commitment points generate what is known as the admissions funnel.

The admissions funnel begins with a large pool of students that are typically labeled prospects. These include any student that could benefit from the education offered by your institution. Generally the institution knows very little about these students beyond their name and address. The institution might also know admission test scores if the names have been bought from ETS, ACT, or a prospective marketing firm. The first commitment that these individuals are asked to make is give the institution an indication of interest and request additional information. At this point, these individuals are usually labeled inquiries.

The next step of the commitment process is having the inquiries complete an application. For all institutions, this will also involve a time commitment on the part of the prospective student because college applications may be lengthy and involved. For those institutions that charge an application fee this will also involve a monetary commitment.

At this point of the process, the institution makes a commitment to some of the applicants by accepting them and offering them admission. Accepted students are then asked to make another commitment by accepting the offer of admission and submitting a deposit to secure a place in the entering class. Finally, deposited students are asked to make the commitment of enrolling.

Each institution will establish a track record in terms of converting individuals from one stage in the commitment process to the next. In the absence of damaging news, very positive events on  campus, or significant changes in how an institution works with or communicates with these individuals,  the conversion rates are fairly consistent from year to year. Judicious use of these conversion rates will permit institutions to manage their enrollments from year to year.

Retention: Each successive semester involves a re-commitment on the part of continuing students to the institution and their specific programs. These reaffirmations do not just happen. The institution must take an active interest in students to insure their continual commitment to the institution. Academic advisers, resident counselors, faculty, and retention officers must be reaching out to students, encouraging students to maintain their commitment to their education and to the institution.

We know there are numerous reasons why students will attrit and not continue. The number one stated reason is finances. If an institution will scratch the surface and dig deeper into the thinking processes of those students who leave, it will find a myriad of reasons for attrition. These include dissatisfaction with a student’s academic performance or the academic life on campus, dissatisfaction with the social life on campus, time, family and health pressures, and a general “grass is greener on the other side of the fence” syndrome.

Alumni: Alumni have already made many commitments to the institution. If their experiences have been positive, they will completely understand the need for continual commitment. However, that commitment will not just happen. The institution must reach out to the alumni. In doing so, it must use its full arsenal of weapons to encourage continual commitment on the part of alumni. This arsenal will include faculty, career officers, student life professionals, alumni officers, and the advancement office.

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Life Cycle of Alumni: Part VII – Fundraising Law #4

The fourth of Richardson and Basinger’s laws of fundraising was:

Law #4: People only give to people. People do not typically give to causes. They may think about giving to grand ideas, impressive buildings or heroic organizations. However, in the end, people give to people who are changing lives, making a difference, and changing the world.

This post will consider how this fits into the processes of student recruitment, retention, and alumni development.

Recruitment: Parents of prospective students want the best education possible for their children.  Prospective students and their parents will devour electronic and printed materials about colleges and universities, looking for the perfect institution. Thus, colleges must make sure their materials are high quality and easily available. The college must make sure that the materials accurately and completely portray the institution. Students want to be able to picture themselves as part of the campus life. Therefore, the pictures and descriptions must be real. Prospective students can easily see past “smoke and mirrors.”

However, no matter how good an institution’s material is, prospective students will really only use the recruiting material to eliminate some options. They will not make their final choice based solely on electronic or printed material. The second point of elimination is a campus visit. Institutions must make campus visits show the reality of campus life. Prospective students and their parents can tell a “snow job” when they see it, and will run in another direction.

After gaining a prospective student’s interest, it is up to real people to complete the sale. Prospective students only respond to real people. They need a name, a face and a voice that they can identify as their contact with the campus.

Retention:  Once a student enrolls, the job is still not done. Continuing students need to know that they are “at home.” They want to be part of a family. They want to be surrounded by people that know their name, know their story, and with whom they have developed a rapport. Continuing students want to be able to talk with someone who cares for them and will service their needs. Automated systems may provide convenience and be helpful in certain campus situations. However, convenience only goes so far. A personal touch is an absolute necessity and will be greatly appreciated.

Alumni:  We have repeatedly made the point that people relate to people. To keep alumni engaged and active, it is necessary that they can relate to specific individuals. It is ideal, if these contacts were also part of the support team for the alumni when the alumni were students. These contacts can be former classmates, faculty, advisers, coaches, resident counselors, professional office staff, or various non-professional staff, including dining service, housekeeping or maintenance personnel. This means that every one at an institution is not only responsible for an assigned job. They are also part of and working for the admissions, retention and alumni offices.