Don’t ask. Involve.
I’m on my way to the International Word of Mouth Conference (see post here) and am reflecting on last night. I was back in Cambridge for a reunion organised by my College there. A great evening was had with most of my year up for a reception and dinner.
In the UK the culture of alumni giving is very different to that in the US; given money to your alma mater has traditionally been the exception and not the norm. With changes in funding, however, the need to increase the amounts raised has become critical. So I think we were all expecting to be asked to make a donation, to be given a form to fill in to give money annually or for some other explicit request for financial support to be made.
Which is why it was a surprise when it wasn’t. In fact it was made explicitly clear that we were not being asked for money. It turns out that my College has taken an engagement process to raising funds. In addition to dining rights six times a year and various other ‘privileges’, they also invite the whole year group back every five-ten years for a lavish dinner. The aim of these isn’t to raise money but to make sure that as high a proportion of people attend as possible. They want to engage with us and involve us in events for the rest of our lives, knowing that at some stage we may be in a better position to make a donation that really makes a difference.
So we had a great reception and dinner; nobody asked us for money but we all left feeling positive towards College, remembering the great times we had there and having the sense of inclusion. They involved us and will continue to, and as a long-term fund-raising mechanism it may just work.
