Small Colleges Say Board Members Have Been Poor Fund Raisers

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April 02, 2008

Small Colleges Say Board Members Have Been Poor Fund Raisers

Facing tighter budgets and often dwindling endowments, small and midsize colleges say that board members are not pulling enough weight in fund-raising efforts for these institutions, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education.

According to a new report, “Advancing Small Colleges: A Benchmarking Survey Update,” part of a 30-year longitudinal study of members of the Council of Independent Colleges, only 1 percent of the 274 college presidents surveyed believed that their board members were adept at fund-raising basics such as soliciting new donors and referring donor prospects, down from 13 percent satisfaction a decade ago. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education conducted the survey.

Wesley K. Willmer, the report’s author, said that small schools today — those with enrollments between 1,500 and 4,000 — often select board members “for reasons other than their wealth,” which may affect these figures.

Mr. Wilmer stressed that while every college “would like to have board members capable of doing more to help,” it was crucial for campus leaders to educate board members about raising money. “If college presidents and development staffs are unhappy with board members’ understanding of fund raising, they should take the initiative to get them trained,” he said.

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Comments

Some small colleges are linked to faith bodies that require certain guidelines that inhibit the institution from selecting Trustee candidates who might have financial resources or contacts that could make a difference. For instance, some institutions are required to have certain percentages of Trustees who are laypeople vs. clergy; men vs. women; small church vs. large church; etc. Abiding by these guidelines is highly problematic for the President and Board.

— WW Apr 2, 12:45 PM #
More than training is required to get boards soliciting gifts. It may require an entire cultural change and it must be peer driven. A fund raising professional that does not have the capacity, influence and profession will not change the tide even if its coming your way.

— melymel Apr 3, 03:41 PM #

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