Five worst enemies to alumni offices' long-range plans are identified: failure to dovetail office plans with institutional plans, turnover in personnel, not enough staff or money to meet goals, failure to review plans regularly, and structuring plans with too little latitude to shift priorities as needed. (MLW)

Planning can shield a small development office from scattershot demands. Priorities should be set and an office assessment should be done. An assessment should outline the elements of a successful development program, review the current program's progress, and propose a three- to five-year plan for moving the program ahead. (MLW)

Campus public relations professionals offer advice for improving the effectiveness of public relations efforts by (1) setting behavioral goals; (2) targeting audiences carefully; (3) focusing appeals by making messages explicit; (4) connecting the public relations message with larger societal issues; and (5) reaching internal as well as external…

A good plan is a statement of major management decisions that sets the stage for successful fund raising for years to come. A 12-step planning process includes: consensus on what the plan will include; timetable for planning; gathering data needed to conduct an assessment; individual program assessment; etc. (MLW)

Issues management in college public relations involves identifying issues and trends early, debating alternative responses, deciding on the best approach, and designing and carrying out an action plan. Experience at the University of Minnesota with the issue of animal rights has shown the method can be very useful. (MSE)

Five ideas to turn a college president's inauguration into a positive fund-raising and public relations event are presented: appoint the vice-president of development as committee chairman; choose an appropriate theme; thank those financially responsible for the institution's existence; recognize the need for more time and money; and make the…

Major implications for fund raising in higher education due to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 are discussed. A list of fund- raising resolutions includes: going back to basics and working harder; consequences of last year's donation rush; and answering questions on the new alternative minimum tax. (MLW)

An overview of the management basics every alumni director needs is presented, including: staffing, planning, managing money, budgets, and facilities management. (MLW)

Institutional advancement as a profession has not put enough emphasis on formal research. Research helps to analyze media, define audiences, and target publications, as well as help in conducting long-range planning, marketing programs, and fund-raising campaigns. (MLW)

Planning must revolve around objectives related to students, faculty, money, and political support. When it is understood that all of the institution's advancement activity should help produce these four things, planning is easy. (MLW)

College and university public relations professionals are encouraged to follow the example of business in managing their publications programs. Planning, marketing those plans to the campus community, involving administration, and assuming accountability are seen as key elements in publications program success. (MSE)

While many basic fund-raising principles have been retained, some of the practices of former decades have been revised or replaced as conditions changed and new concepts evolved. Some lessons learned from previous capital campaigns are described. (MLW)

The effects of poor planning may show up at the beginning of a college fund-raising campaign or much later, perhaps at a crucial stage in soliciting a leadership gift. Proper preparation starts with developing an overall institutional plan and moves to readying the development program for the upcoming drive with a campaign plan. (MLW)

The reasons for writing or not writing statements of editorial mission, goals, and policy are discussed. The editors of two commercial-magazines that don't have a written editorial policy discuss why. (MLW)

Grant proposals are most likely to succeed when they are based on solid, well-conceived ideas. Long-range planning is the best way to come up with workable ideas that will convince small foundations of a project's merits. Planning helps identify an institution's top priorities and achieve a consensus. (MLW)