The importance of maintaining and improving college alumni records is discussed. Three types of information needed about alumni are identified: identifiers and locators, qualifiers, and specifiers. (MLW)

A public relations audit can show how efforts measure up, whether they are parents programs, media relations, or faculty/staff communication. A sample inventory form is included. (MLW)

A new Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) advisory, designed for colleges and universities to use in accounting for gifts and pledges according to new Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) regulations, is summarized. The publication is entitled "The Impact of FASB Standards 116 & 117 on Development Operations: An…

Revised Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) standards for reporting college and university fund-raising income take effect in July 1997. Some of the changes affect what front-line fund raisers say to donors and what they ask them to sign. The major change is to present-value calculation of gifts, critical in reporting planned…

Fourteen principles for successful operation of a small collegiate alumni program are presented. They address such issues as planning, setting priorities, making decisions, routinizing procedures, using technology, creating a climate for cooperation and productivity, getting volunteers, keeping staff longer, and maintaining a balance between…

Those who manage college alumni association World Wide Web sites should prepare for three trends: (1) alumni Web sites are featuring more valuable offerings, including forms to update personal information, program information, extensive class home pages, and class notes; (2) more campuses are using professional designers; and (3) campuses are…