Leading Resource Development for Engagement

David J. WeertsAssociate Professor & Faculty Director

Jandris Center for Innovative Higher Education (jCENTER)University of Minnesota- twin Cities

Topics for this Session

• Assessing the status and potential for securing resources for engagement within your campus, college, unit (internal and external support)

• Leveraging internal and external funding for engagement: What might internal budgeting decisions and advancement look like at an engaged institution?

• A president’s perspective on resource development: Reflections from Dr. Ramaley

Small group exercise and discussion

• Complete the assessment rubric on funding for engagement. Consider these questions:

• How does engagement “score” as a funding priority on your campus/unit? (internal and external funding)

• What barriers stand in the way of securing internal and external resources for engagement?

• What opportunities exist for leveraging internal and external resources to support engagement? Success stories?

Threats to Sustaining Engagement as an Institutional Priority

• Engagement often viewed as not central, but competing with other priorities.

• The “scarcity vs. abundance” mindset (Boyte, 2013)

• Key: Engagement must be operationalized as a strategy to accomplish institutional goals

• Engagement and the abundance mindset: Evidence that engagement—as a strategy– can leverage public and private support for colleges and universities.

Priority #1: Secure internal support!(Holland & Langseth, 2010)

• Internal resource providers must be the primary focus of leveraging support

• “4 Rs:” Relevance, relationships, results, resources

• Attach budget requests to strategic initiatives (e.g., student success, retention). Use evidence to make the case.

• Articulate clear goals, demonstrate financial need

Holland, B., & Langseth, M. N, (2010). Leveraging financial support for service-learning: Relevance, relationships, results, resources, In, Jacoby, B. & Harris, N., (eds). Looking in, reaching out: A reflective guide for community-service learning professionals. Campus Compact: Boston MA

Priority #1: Secure internal support!(Holland & Langseth, 2010)

• Cultivate allies– leaders, faculty, etc. who are willing to take action on your behalf

• Situate proposals in larger community and campus context (public agenda, “grand challenges”)

• Modes of support: tuition, state support, annual giving, grants, endowments, etc.

Securing external support for engagement….

Engaging advancement and alumni relations professionals

Disrupting Traditional Views of Advancement

• Advancement professionals/campus leaders often frame institutional needs as priorities to support (public interests and societal needs in the background).

• Conversely, community partners/alumni/donors see problems to be solved as the priority.

• “Society has problems, universities have disciplines.”

Higher education for the public good? Donor perspectives

• Today’s transformational donors are interested in building communities, not institutions (Strickland, 2007).

• Today’s transformational donors invest in issues and expect results. They seek values-driven organizations and expect organizations to accept their ideas and opinions, not just their money (Grace & Wendroff, 2001).

“We didn’t attend Portland State University, but we’re enrolled in its vision.”

-Portland family explaining its $1 million + gift to Portland State University.

Langseth, M. N, and McVeety, C. S. (2007). Engagement as a core university leadership position and advancement strategy: Perspectives from an engaged institution.” International Journal of Educational Advancement, 7(2) 55-67.

Reframing the Dialogue… Asking New Questions

Traditional question related to advancement: (institutionally-centered)

• What can donors, alumni, and friends do to better support OUR campus?

Questions reframed: (public/community-centered)

• What are the most pressing needs, challenges, and opportunities facing our community, state, and nation?

• How can our campus be an instrument to addressing these challenges?

• How do we engage donors, alumni, and friends to be strategic partners in meeting these community, regional, and national goals?

Your Hidden Asset: Engaging alumni through a community engagement agenda

A Tale of Eagles, Honeybees, Otters, and Koalas

Weerts, D. J. & Cabrera, A. F., (2015). Profiles of civically engaged college students. Journal of College and Character, 16(1), 22-36

Weerts, D., J., Cabrera, A. F., & Pérez, P. (2014). Uncovering classes of civically engaged college students: A latent class analysis. Review of Higher Education, 37(2), 141-168.

Civic engagement probability plot: latent classes of civically engaged students (now alumni)

Professional Service Environment Political Social Cultural Youth Community0

0.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

1

Eagles (30.2%) Otters (6.2%)Honeybees (38.9%) Koalas (24.7%)

“Once an Eagle, always an Eagle….”

• Civic patterns formed in college hold after graduation (Weerts, Cabrera, Sanford, 2010).

• Civic behaviors after college highly correlated with campus volunteerism and philanthropic support (Weerts & Ronca, 2008; 2009)

Are we engaging our eagles, honeybees, and otters in meaningful ways given their unique aspirations, talents, worldviews, and civic orientations?

What might alumni relations and advancement look like if we engaged alums around their broader civic/campus interests?

Some burning questions related to alumni relations and advancement…

Envisioning Alumni/Advancement Officers as Civic Professionals

• Alumni and advancement officers as change agents?

• Rethinking advancement as public work (co-creator with colleges/alums, abundance mindset).

Boyte, H., Everyday Politics: Reconnecting Citizens and Public Life. University of Pennsylvania Press (2004); and The Citizen Solution: How You Can Make a Difference. Kettering Foundation Press, (2008).

Citizen Alum Summer Institute, June 11-12, 2013 jCENTER, University of Minnesota

CITIZEN ALUM “Doers, not just donors!”

(citizenalum.org)

Biggest challenge ahead?

Fostering an imaginative, collaborative campus culture to advance resource

development!

Addressing Culture CollisionThe Advancement-Academic Divide

Fundraiser as glamorous jet-setter?

Alumni relations professional as party planner?

Faculty member as eccentric?

Academic professionals as absent-minded, unpredictable?

Fundraiser as sales person on the make?

Advancement 101: The Giving Pyramid

Annual Gift – Mailings, Events, PhoneTelefund - Student, Class Agents

Major Gift – Capital Campaign, Targeted Projects

Director of Development, Dean, Volunteer

Lifetime or Ultimate Gift

(Estate, Planned Giving)Multiple Campus Partners and

Volunteers

Remember the 90/10 rule…

Capacity + Inclination = Gift prospect

Spanning boundaries and “Leading from the Middle…”

“Boundary spanners… embrace the role of a informal educator and diplomat—an emissary shuttling back from two different worlds to facilitate mutual learning and productive agreements…. Leaders must see the possibilities and bring the necessary skills to assist their institutions in developing creating partnerships.”

Bolman and Gallos, (2011), “Leading from the Middle” in Reframing Academic Leadership, p. 146

Engagement leaders who succeed in developing relationships with advancement staff…

• Understand the basics of advancement strategy in higher education

• Have a bold and well thought out vision/plan that has potential to attract philanthropic support

• Plan has enthusiastic support from those in authority (President, VP, Dean)

• Plan aligns with other institutional priorities!

Creating a campus-community agenda for investment: leveraging time, talent, treasure (see handout)

Reflecting on the handout…

• Consider your campus mission, context and key internal and external stakeholders. What are the opportunities and limits for sustaining support for engagement on your campus?

• Relationship to your salient “engagement identities?”

• How might current programs be positioned to build internal/external financial support for engagement?

• How does this fit into your action plan?

Some closing thoughts on advancement and its relationship to engagement…

Reflections from a three-time president, Dr. Judith Ramaley.