[avincent@cgs.nche.edu]

Please join us on Wed, May 28, 8am – 8pm ET, for a Fundraising for Graduate Education “Ask An Expert” discussion board event with Michele Siegal, Director, Development and Alumni Relations, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan. This event follows yesterday’s Fundraising for Graduate Education webinar. For more information on the webinar, the slides, recording and the Fundraising for Graduate Education toolkit are available online here:

Fundraising for Graduate Education

Post your questions about fundraising for graduate education, the webinar or the toolkit on May 28 and Michele will answer.

• This topic was modified 4 weeks ago by avincent@cgs.nche.edu.

[Michele Siegal]

Fundraising for Grad Ed has never been more critical than it is right now. I’m looking forward to engaging with you and responding to your questions.

[Stephen Roth]

Our Graduate School has a limited development operation at present, but we are expanding with the help of our central university relations staff. If success follows this expansion, one area of interest will be developing a Board of Advisors for The Graduate School. What advice do you have on initiating such a board, and on how best to deploy it? How would the goals of such a board differ from those of a more traditional board of an academic college? Your insights are appreciated!

[Michele Siegal]

Thanks for your question. A volunteer board can be a great way to engage alumni and prospects. Before launching a board, consider the following: 1) Do you and your staff have time to manage and host 1-2 robust meetings each year? 2) What role will the members play, and how can you demonstrate the impact of their participation? Often, volunteers want to provide insights on curriculum, admissions, etc., which are likely areas where involving them will be problematic. 3) If you want to raise money by establishing a board, could you do it without engaging a prospect on a board?
Rackham has gone through a few iterations of volunteer boards. We have landed on the “Professional Alumni Council,” which brings together alumni with doctorates and research-based master’s degrees who work outside of academia. These alumni tend to have better giving capacity than those who work in higher Education. The purpose is to provide outside insights to the graduate school that cannot be learned from the campus community. It is future-focused and taps into the expertise of the alumni.
I recommend creating a “job description,” including membership requirements (one is giving) and setting term limits. We invited campus colleagues to nominate alumni to join, which also helps build relationships. I am happy to provide more information and details.

[rodrigo.renteria@cwu.edu]

Thank you for creating this space. Graduate Education occupies a crucial if always perhaps hidden role at PUIs, as it is often the case for regional comprehensives. In this context, fundraising strategies in these ecosystems must articulate approaches that vastly differ (I assume) from fundraising strategies often implemented at R1s–as fundraising networks, recruiting spaces, engagement programs and funding needs are often radically different, specially in terms of availability. Any insights or pointers in developing fundraising strategies for regional comprehensive ecosystems will therefore be immensely appreciated.

[Michele Siegal]

Like R1s, PIUs should invest time in developing a case statement and funding priorities at a variety of giving levels. The Grad Ed Toolkit provides more information about this exercise. Through the process, your institution should consider which potential donors or funders you have access to based on who you serve and the role of grad students on your campus and in the communities as alumni.
As an RUI, you can partner with regional businesses, chambers of commerce, community foundations, and area leaders because you can articulate the impact and importance of the university to the area in a way that is harder for R1s to do.
If you aren’t already, consider increasing your involvement in important regional organizations to build partnerships. Learn about the regional priorities and issues (i.e., workforce development, serving an aging population, clean water, etc.) and connect those needs with your funding priorities. In other words, demonstrate how an investment in graduate education at CWU will respond to the issues your partners seek to address.

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