As colleges and universities continue to work through the acute phase of the coronavirus crisis, Aspen Leadership Group saw a need to reach out to Vice Presidents to talk peer-to-peer and share challenges, successes, and ideas that could be shared more broadly. Don Hasseltine observed four key considerations for other advancement leaders as they enter the next phase of response, and collected innovative ideas to move forward.
We are all under great pressure as we face into this pandemic and its consequences. Lives are upended, schools are closed, work has shifted to virtual, and many are balancing worries about health, safety, income, and the changes that lie…
This is a trying time for everyone, including our team members. Lives are being upended as schools close or assisted living communities are locked down, alternative childcare or elder care is patched together, work is shifted to virtual, and we…
Our Covid-19 Resources page offers the ALG community resources for navigating this difficult time. We have provided briefings on how to embrace donors and volunteers as partners, manage and motivate remote teams, and adapt to new realities for hiring and fostering team culture. Additional resources from the philanthropy sector address fundraising, CARES Act legislation and relief efforts for nonprofits, and recommendations from public health organizations.

In collaboration with the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, ALG presents a new whitepaper that reviews research and offers recommendations for leaders to improve diversity and inclusion in advancement.

Regardless of scale of need, every organization will benefit from a thoughtful, inclusive consideration of the board’s collective leadership responsibility.

CFOs and CDOs should recognize the different demands of their jobs and the likelihood that they will have different orientations and personalities, and to see these as complementary strengths rather than as a reason for conflict.

Our profession talks a lot about creating a “culture of philanthropy,” usually disguised as part of a conversation about how certain groups are not giving to expectations. Whatever your circumstances, there is a way for these groups to build a stronger culture of philanthropy. The first step is to recognize that it’s not specifically about giving, but about setting the conditions for giving.

Seldom does promotion come with a corresponding investment in management training. You do not need to look far to find studies pointing to how poor management is the top reason for staff turnover. After many years of managing people, few things have been more effective in making me a better manager than writing out my management philosophy. Why does having a management philosophy work?

Do your President and Deans know how many days a year you have to fundraise? I bet they will be surprised by the answer. Recently a senior university advancement leader wanted to know how best to educate the deans about how limited the fundraisers time was to actually do the work of raising money. So how many days in a year do you actually have to meet prospects and raise money?