Dialing for $$$

The writer is a current president.

It is my privilege to lead a small, specialized institution where we all wear the proverbial “many hats,” which for me, like most other presidents, includes being highly involved in fundraising.

I would probably not need to do anything if I had a dollar for every time someone has said to me some variation of “I hate fundraising” or “I despise asking for money.” Most, especially faculty members, are surprised when I tell them that I really enjoy it.

In an earlier life, working for a nonprofit, I wrote grant proposals to foundations and government agencies and then moved into a position as development director, which included overseeing annual giving and a capital campaign. I am not sure, but when I applied for a presidency, I suspect that this item on my CV got more attention than my publications in peer-reviewed journals.

As a newcomer to the philanthropy arena, one of the best pieces of advice I received was that people give to success, not need. This ran counter to my instincts, but when I thought about it, I realized that donors like to be part of something that is growing, thriving, and, yes, of course, doing good work.

Folks with resources are not typically interested in being a stopgap funder before a place has to close its doors; rather, they often want to give to help something that is already successful do better and more good work. In other words, “Please give or we will have to close our doors” is not a compelling ask.

What I like about fundraising is the opportunity to spend time with people who have the ability to support the great work we do and are interested in learning more. The art of the pitch, I learned, was helping to match their interests with our needs. Seeing their pleasure in supporting something meaningful is worth every minute.

Donors are often (although certainly not always) people who have been successful in whatever they’ve done. Learning from them is an overlooked perk in the role of president. In the course of trying to secure gifts, I’ve come to understand that incentivizing performance is not un-American, antidemocratic, or inappropriate but, rather, a common way to structure employment agreements—all within federal Department of Education rules, of course.

Of course, sometimes fundraising can bring unique disappointments. Early in my career I was invited to play golf with a father and son, the latter of whom had benefited greatly from the kinds of things our institution did really well. The outing was at a club only very wealthy individuals could afford to join. I gladly accepted and was hopeful a significant donation might be awaiting. I enjoyed the time with them, even though I am very bad at golf.

After the round, the father handed me an envelope in the locker room and then left. Practically panting, I opened it to find a check. For a hundred dollars.

Needless to say, I learned some lessons that day, namely, to spend a lot of time cultivating relationships before expecting a significant gift and, perhaps most importantly, never to get one’s hopes too high.

Also, to practice putting.