To recruit students and raise money, some colleges are presenting increasingly distorted pictures of themselves. Misrepresentation in fund-raising includes using money for a purpose other than the one for which it was raised. (MLW)

It is not effective to focus on the process of public relations, student recruitment, or fund-raising. In the 1990s, public relations must use rigorous research to achieve measurable results, not just more paperwork. (Author/MSE)

Suggestions for improving alumni association membership recruitment and retention, for raising non-dues income, and for keeping records are made based on Kansas State University's experiences. (MSE)

To succeed in recruiting development officers, colleges and universities must use more aggressive methods to reach alumni, people with ties to the campus, and local business people; expand their selection criteria, perhaps including candidates with little or no experience; streamline the hiring process; and train new professionals. (MSE)

As the demand for qualified college fund raisers intensifies, institutions are turning to executive search firms. Professional recruiters increase access to candidates, can be persuasive, act as a buffer in salary negotiations, and free senior administrators from time-consuming personnel work. However, some firms show less responsibility than…

Although volunteers serve many useful functions in fund raising, soliciting gifts should be left to staff. Volunteers are hard to recruit, keep, motivate, are unreliable, lacking in expertise, and they can balk at the realities of development tasks. Development offices should carefully think through the appropriate roles for these individuals.…

Geodemographic analysis offers colleges a description of student or donor prospect groupings, and direction on finding more of them. However, the method only complements careful use of other resources such as internal yield and retention information, matriculant and nonmatriculant surveys, national and longitudinal data services, focus groups, and…

Media relations efforts at Wittenberg University are concentrated on newpapers, magazines, and radio and TV stations that will heighten the institution's visibility in the areas of student recruitment and fund raising. The college president is seen as the institution's chief public relations officer.

An informal statewide coalition of institutions from Missouri, Missourians for Higher Education (MHE), undertook a 2-year, $250,000 public information campaign. MHE focused on four goals: to elevate state support of higher education; to increase gifts from private sources; to develop new markets for Missouri's institutions; and to stimulate…

Rapid turnover is posing a threat to fund-raising efforts. Suggestions on how to find a more systematic way to reduce it are provided including: define needs of the institution, define type of person needed, prepare the job description, match professional backgrounds, and characterize the ideal person. (MLW)

A study to provide some measurable benchmarks of the advancement process at small colleges is described. Data are presented on budgets, spending per function, professional staff, chief advancement officer, support staff, recruitment costs, fund-raising revenues and costs, and developing institutions. (MLW)

Brown University's Third World Alumni Activities Program is described. The program is designed to get alumni of African, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American descent involved in alumni activities, student recruitment, and fund raising. (MLW)

Suggestions from recruitment consultants for working with an executive search firm to recruit an advancement officer include drawing up a clear and candid job description, streamlining the search committee, providing the candidate with information about the institution and prospective peers, and giving a positive impression. Advice for candidates…

The 1987 CASE Recognition Awards are presented for: general excellence in programs; student recruitment marketing improvement; video public service announcements, news, and commercial spots; total publications; magazines of the decade; improvement in periodicals; photocommunications via print; designer of the year and series; and imagination in…

Fifteen innovative ideas for activities by student alumni associations, based on existing programs, are described briefly. They include activities for career awareness and development, fund raising, student fun, service to alumni families, alumni orientation to the current campus community, graduation festivities, and service to the community.…