Juggling act: today's college or university president must be a champion fundraiser and a strong internal leader

University Business, July, 2004 by Barbara Kaufman

Gone are the days when the hire of a university president was based primarily on a lifetime of scholarship and academic credentials that resonated with faculty. Gone, too, are the days when the president was expected to focus on internal governance and maintaining the institution's status quo. Increasingly, university leaders are under relentless pressure to raise private funds to protect and grow colleges and universities. And white for the president fundraising is often experienced as another full-time role, the effort must be balanced with the challenging demands of campus leadership.

Hit the Ground Running

Fundraising is one of the most visible and demanding rotes expected from campus leadership today. Unfortunately, presidents whose careers have been built as scholars with sterling academic credentials (or who have come from outside higher education) are often unprepared for the task.

"Today, on the part of boards, there is a very high expectation that presidents have to raise funds," says Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the California State University system. "Fees and state funding are no longer enough to ensure quality education. With continued budget reductions and increasing enrollment demands, the need for external support is even greater."

It stands to reason then that boards seeking a leader to hit the ground running as a knowledgeable fundraiser need to took beyond academic credentials and conduct a more effective assessment of a) previous fundraising experience, b) a willingness to learn, and c) institutional fit. What are the candidate's specific fundraising successes and failures? Has the candidate ever analyzed an advancement function and infrastructure in order to assess its effectiveness? What is his or her vision of the future, and how are strategic goals linked to fundraising? It's never too early to gain a shared understanding of the institutional philosophy and history of fundraising and how aggressively a campaign is envisioned, and it's never too late to negotiate the time and resources it will take to be successful.

Critical for fundraising success is a certain orientation on the part of a president, which includes:

An authentic belief in the role of president as fundraiser. In collaboration with the chief advancement officer, establishing campaign goats and bringing in major gifts are key responsibilities for the president and are often a measure of performance success.

A deep understanding of the need to invest in external relationships. A president who is distracted by his or her love of an academic discipline, or who remains in a comfort zone that is exclusively associated with internal community building, is not likely to be a successful fundraiser.

Strategic goal setting. In the long term, no successful fundraising will be accomplished without a collaborative process for goat setting, clearly articulated goats, measures of success that are monitored, and buy-in from those who will be held accountable for these efforts.

A future vision. Campus leaders must be able to paint a competing picture of the future. They must be able to link the ways in which private funds contribute to meeting goals that are clearly connected to faculty--and other key constituent--resource needs.

A passion for the institution coupled with storyteller ability. Campus leaders need to be able to articulate their passion for the institution by tapping into the richness of campus history, and alumni/advisory board "favorite tales," and crafting compelling stories for internal and external audiences. This ability draws on a repertoire of leadership styles that reflect the effective use of a personal "instrumental" approach to leadership. The Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame (IN), said it best: "The leader needs a clear and challenging vision, magic with words, the ability to motivate others, the courage to stay on course, and the persistence not to lose hope." Internally, it certainly takes magic with words and personal credibility to convince faculty that salaries for development officers are worthy investments. Externally, only a good storyteller can inspire the community and potential donors.

Solid credibility. "A president who is expected to raise funds needs both charisma and credibility," says Patrick Kelly, chairman of the board of St. Norbert College (WI). "Alumni and others who are expected to donate their hard-earned money have to like the individual and believe that he or she will make the investment count."

Begin with Assessment

Often a new president comes on board with a pre-set agenda and feels compelled to forge ahead without ever having an adequate opportunity to assess the current situation and perform a comprehensive mapping of the involvement of various constituencies in fundraising. Yet, "An aggressive analysis of internal readiness is key to any successful campaign," says Kelly. Such an analysis asks the following questions:

What is the degree of involvement of deans, the provost, department chairs, and faculty, in collaboration with campus advancement professionals?