Dive Brief:
- The success of a capital campaign and the involvement and buy-in from the campus president are directly correlated, according to Dabney S. Lancaster Community College President John Rainone and fundraising consultant Joseph April during a session at the American Association of Community Colleges conference.
- Making time to not only prepare for the campaign, but make solicitation visits as well, is a key part of any gifts campaign’s success.
- The presenters also noted the importance of adequate resourcing, in terms of time and money, and actual training for a president on how to make the ask.
Dive Insight:
Traditionally, college presidents have come from the academic side of the college, but increasingly, there is an expectation that leaders must be able to manage not just academic, but financial and governmental affairs and fundraising efforts, as well as serving as the top marketing and communication officer and overall face of the campus. While much of the heavy lifting likely falls on the chief development officer at most campuses, there is no denying the importance of face time from the campus’s chief ambassador in major campaigns.
But the same can be said for the importance of the president as ambassador in everything the college does, before it is time to make an ask, whether it is engaging with local, state and national elected officials to sell the value of the institution on an ongoing basis, or interacting with alumni and key stakeholders on a consistent basis to obtain total campus buy-in for a strategic plan. The advent of technology, especially social media, has made it easier for campus leaders to engage with larger numbers of people in shorter amounts of time to expand the brand and footprint of the campus.