(from The Chronicle of Philanthropy) Can setting an alumni-participation goal strengthen a school's fundraising campaign? It has for William & Mary. Not long after taking over the Virginia college's fundraising efforts, alumnus Matthew Lambert made it one of the first to bundle an alumni participation goal into a capital campaign. Two years in, alumni participation in the campaign has climbed from around 23 percent to nearly 30 percent, and the college has raised $736 million — $236 million more than its last campaign goal.
The benefit of a participation goal, Lambert explained, is that every gift counts the same regardless of size. "That really speaks to some of the pools of potential donors who have historically sat on the sidelines during campaigns, because they felt like it didn't really speak to them" unless they gave a very large donation.
More at The Chronicle of Philanthropy
All news on NetAssets.org
Listen to the latest episode of the Net Assets podcast.
