Two books on private donor decision-making are reviewed: "Decision Making in Foundations: A Case Study" by A. Hope Williams and "Factors Accounting for Variations in Levels of Private Giving to Higher Education in the United States" by Sally Spaid Drachman. (MSE)

Interviews with 30 million-dollar donors to colleges and universities, including 17 individuals and representatives of 8 corporations and 5 foundations, revealed that donors gave with the expectation of receiving some return but sought indirect rather than direct benefit: enhancement of the institution, community, or society at large. (MSE)

A strategy for seeking grants from major foundations is presented. A five-step process includes: preparation, identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. A grant from one of the private foundations in the country brings not only cash but also important national visibility to a campus. (MLW)

College and university fund raisers are offered three recommendations for targeting the best donors: (1) make effective use of indexes and directories, electronic or manual, to match foundation and college interests; (2) narrow the pool to true prospects; and (3) make preproposal contact geared to the foundation's style or organization. (MSE)

Guidelines are offered for making the most of either a foundation visit to a college campus in search of funding or a fund-raising visit to a foundation. Detailed planning, presenting the strengths of the college, and conducting an effective meeting are discussed. (MSE)

In a philanthropic partnership, a corporation gives money to a university so the university can use it to further the corporation's philanthropic goals. Business must focus its support where it will have the most effect on targeted social problems. (MLW)

The modest foundation that publisher DeWitt Wallace established for Macalester College (Minnesota) in 1981 suddenly became $200 million in 1990. Previous strategic planning has laid a foundation for decisions regarding use of the assets, which will be used to strengthen the faculty, curriculum, student opportunities, and facilities. (MSE)

A foundation official offers practical advice for making a grant application more appealing. Pointers are given for the preparatory stage (planning a precise request, setting priorities, selecting proposal writers), making the presentation (precision, punctuality, polish), and preventing awkwardness in style and tone of writing. (MSE)

Senior development officers of the 56 member institutions of the Association of American Universities were surveyed to learn about the scope of their prospect research programs. Scope of programs, prospect research approaches, and information resources are discussed. (MLW)

A three-year endowment campaign at the University of Texas at Austin is described. Other ideas from CASE members are described including alumni endowments, foundations and corporations, federal and state endowments, and unusual endowments. (MLW)

Emory University (Georgia) has advanced its fundraising by leveraging a $2 million challenge from the Coca-Cola Foundation. The school publicized the challenge, made the case for an added incentive to give, and integrated advancement functions to get greater results. Challenge grants can come from industry, foundations, and alumni; and careful…

Colleges and universities can realize the full potential of women's philanthropy by gender-sensitive cultivation and solicitation strategies. Insights are offered into why and how women give, generational differences in giving patterns, and the real or imagined barriers to cultivating women donors. Two women in philanthropy and several successful…

A discussion of young donors to colleges and universities, usually alumni ages 20 to 50, looks at the distinctive characteristics and considerations of donors in this population and makes suggestions for finding and cultivating major gift prospects. Two young female philanthropists are profiled. (MSE)

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)

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)