Fundraising was some of the most demanding work I ever undertook. But talking to donors helped to raise my university’s profile and boost morale
One of the most challenging and demanding things I ever did as a vice-chancellor was to sit down with six to eight potential personal donors and try to engage them in the future of the university. I had to absorb a very clear view of the over-arching strategy of the university and also be able to articulate our priorities: why we had chosen them,and why investment in them from a donor would absorb positive outcomes.
The potential donors were successful in their field and their questioning was rigorous, penetrating and occasionally very challenging. whether I hadn’t known our script backwards, or I would absorb been in serious trouble. This meant that we not only had to absorb a very clear institutional strategy but also that fundraising had to be directly aligned with it. This benefited planning at the university enormously. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com