Book Review: Development for Academic Leaders: A Practical Guide for Fundraising Success,by P. C. Hunt

Today’s academic leaders are pulled in many directions. Since many states’ budget struggles have hampered their ability to provide support for higher education, department chairs, deans, and provosts are finding themselves more deeply involved in nonacademic university business and outreach. A deviation from their traditional roles in the American university, they are often pressed into service as recruiters, marketers, and yes—fund-raisers. In many cases, academic leaders are asked to lead complex fund-raising campaign efforts to bring in much needed funding for scholarships, faculty support, and even capital improvements aimed at enhancing the on-campus student experience.

While their personal credibility and influence may be well established among external audiences, academic leaders frequently report that fund-raising is an area where they feel least prepared to excel (p. ix). Penelepe Hunt’s book, Development for Academic Leaders: A Practical Guide for Fundraising Success, attempts to address the fears and concerns that typically serve as barriers to academics who face the responsibility of clearly and passionately conveying the vision for their programs to inspire potential donors. In the foreward, John Lippencott, president of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), highlights the merits of fund-raising as a noble activity and trumpets Hunt’s credentials as having earned top ratings for her past conference and workshop presentations on topics relating to development for deans.

The main objective of the book is to provide a how-to manual for academic leaders attempting to embrace their role as fund-raiser despite finding themselves underprepared to do so. In the book’s opening pages Hunt states,

The most common concern new academic leaders express about development is that it will be like sales. They imagine they will be trying to extract money from people who do not want to give it up. Nothing could be further from the truth. (p. 4)

Part 1 offers a helpful description of the role private philanthropy has historically played in higher education. It speaks specifically to the fact that public universities have entered the fund-raising business decades after private institutions, realizing that to be great, they will have to do more. She gives examples of different ways that academic leaders can be involved in the fund-raising process in a way that provides assurance that their specific role in fund-raising is adaptable to their comfort level. Hunt dedicates a significant number of pages to the importance of the relationship between the academic leader and their primary development officer, and the importance of the synergy they have, maximizing aspects of each others’ strengths to carry out the work necessary to inspire donors to make major gifts. She states, “A healthy relationship between the academic leader and development staff member begins with mutual trust and mutual respect” (p. 15). Particularly beneficial is the explanation of the different ways in which institutional fund-raising is centralized/decentralized. Understanding these complexities and the interplay between the academic leader and the development team further highlights the interdependence of their work.

Part 2 provides a technical description of the overall fund-raising cycle. The five-part process begins with (a) the identification of prospects, and moves through; (b) the qualification of a prospect’s capacity to give; (c) the cultivation of the relationship with the prospect; (d) the solicitation of gifts; and (e) the stewardship of the donor and his or her gift. Next, it describes the various types of giving, characterizing annual gifts generally as low dollar amount gifts, which are typically more transactional in nature. The term major gift is used to describe larger amounts that may take the donor longer to decide on as the gift may involve multiple decision makers and/or multiple programmatic considerations. The term principal gift refers to the category of gift at the highest giving level, which usually is transformational in nature and represents the donor’s ultimate gift. A donor’s legacy may often come in the form of a planned gift, which is described as a gift that comes in the form of an estate plan, bequest, or gift in trust. Gift levels and definitions may vary by institution; however, Hunt reminds the reader to stay focused on the donor by saying, “While the definition of a major gift can be a helpful organizational tool, it is important to keep in mind that donors have their own opinions about what is major for them” (p. 59).

Hunt prescribes a few simple ways to prioritize donors and encourages the academic leader to meet regularly with their primary development officer, moving names up and down the list based on their capacity to give and the degree to which the eventual gift may not happen without their direct involvement. All the while she cautions academic leaders who may be new to fund-raising not to overthink the process, and reminds the reader of the importance of just getting started.

Part 3 provides suggestions on how to develop the components of a fund-raising campaign, emphasizing the importance of maximizing the opportunity to engage donors and volunteers through special events and advisory committees. The book’s final section offers helpful advice for the utilization of department heads and aspiring faculty who may have, or develop over time, an aptitude for raising private money for the sake of the academy. Lastly, Hunt encourages academic leaders to continually look for ways to foster collaboration across campus and in their communities, as they will no doubt find that donors are interested in funding interdisciplinary projects that often cross programmatic lines.

Development for Academic Leaders’ overall strength lies in its vivid expression of how academic leaders can be effective fund-raising leaders. By untangling the mystery of development through detailed, practical instructions, Hunt offers hope to those who are often paralyzed by the thought of asking for money. The book’s carefully placed hypothetical case studies profiling complex development situations should prove very useful to academic leaders who discover that successful fund-raising involves maneuvering within complex systems. While any academic leader facing the responsibility of fund-raising would certainly benefit from the book’s offerings, it has relevant value to major gift officers, directors of development, or other senior-level development professionals in an educational setting. Also, scholars of education, philanthropy or political scientists interested in how dwindling government support and the rise of philanthropy influences the culture and norms of American higher education would find Hunt’s articulation of the organizational arrangement of fund-raising noteworthy.

Critics of the notion that academic leaders should share the burden of fund-raising may point out that while the book advocates for more time spent on development efforts, it offers little advice for what to do with the responsibilities they are vacating in exchange, other than to suggest they delegate it to someone else—which, of course, is easier said than done. Overall, the book achieves its objective by providing a first-of-its-kind handbook for successful fund-raising practices and strategies for academic leaders, and is a must-read for new deans and aspiring faculty.