Donors and potential donors are most interested in hearing from and visiting those who work at the University.
With your cooperation, we will arrange visits and share tips to discreetly discern if it is appropriate to encourage a gift.
The development director is happy to help nurture these relationships by
- discovering which programs interest a donor,
- inviting the donor to become involved on campus,
- providing gift-giving information,
- determining the best time to ask for a gift, and
- saying thank you.
What if prospective donors contact the department?
Work with them – and call your development director.
Deans, faculty and staff determine how they want to continue the conversation. The Foundation can best support gift activity if development directors are kept in the loop.
Development directors work with faculty, staff and administrators to help write emails or letters to prospective donors, provide additional information and create a development plan.
Directors of development also will know whether a giver is involved philanthropically elsewhere on campus and can help coordinate communication to avoid donor fatigue and over-solicitation.