Earlier this month, I was having a conversation with Chris. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but somewhere in the conversation, I said that my advancement background makes me a better MarComm leader.
He asked me to explain that, and I elaborated on a few of the topics below. His immediate thought: that’s a great blog series. He challenged me to include other key partnerships as well. Part one of this series is how I’m better because of advancement, but I’ll have additional blogs focusing on enrollment and athletics.
MarComm Across the Org Chart
During my almost twenty-year career in higher education, I’ve been bounced around in the organizational chart. The reality is lots of people want the MarComm function, and as a result, I’ve lived in several divisions. Here are the divisions I’ve been part of:
- Office of the President
- Chief of Staff
- Enrollment Management
- Student Affairs
- Advancement
While moving around in the organization hasn’t always been my favorite, I can say that it has helped me develop a familiarity with different divisions. I have seen firsthand their challenges and their needs. As I’ve grown as a leader, I value that opportunity because it has helped me better partner with these areas.
Five Ways My Advancement Background Supports Me
Here are five ways that I think I’m a better MarComm leader because of my advancement background.
Stewardship
For donors, stewardship is about finding a way to thank a donor for their gift and recognize them for their generosity.
As a MarComm professional, I look at stewardship as being a good campus partner and thanking others for trusting me in the work. I want to let them see the work that is happening when they aren’t in the room and want to ensure they get regular project updates. This approach builds trust and helps the partner know that you’re taking their project seriously.
For example, if I am working with a partner on a video project, I give them regular email updates when they can’t see the behind-the-scenes work that’s happening. Then, on the day we’re filming, I send them photos so they can feel included in the video shoot. I want people to feel like I value their support and am intentionally including them.
Personally, I do this as well. We have sweet friends who make us bread, honey, and pizza. Every time we eat these goodies, I send a picture. It seems natural to me that they would want to know we enjoy these treats and want them to see that firsthand.
I think the instinct to loop people into the conversation so they feel valued and included is something I wouldn’t think about if I didn’t understand stewarding donors and thanking them.
Money
As a fundraiser, money matters and drives decisions around fundraisers and special events. For example, if we’re hosting a fundraiser and a large silent auction item or cash sponsorship comes in after the deadline, flexibility is expected. The answer is always going to be thanking the donor and figuring out how to update the event materials.
Because of my advancement background, I recognize that money comes in late, and the institution is always going to accept it. The answer can’t be that the deadline has passed. Knowing that, I hope, helps me be better at building processes and materials in a way that supports this.
Our university is in the business of raising funds, so that’s a core tenet of the work. Sometimes I think MarComm leaders can be too rigid on this and it creates issues. I’m not saying our advancement colleagues shouldn’t work hard to meet the preferred deadlines, but I am saying a last-minute gift or sponsorship is going to happen.
The situational awareness to accept that reality and build it into the plans comes from my time working in the advancement function.
Small Touches Compound
Another area that is really important for fundraising professionals is the small details. They are the best at connecting dots and maximizing the small details because it makes a difference to the donor. Earlier this year, mom and I went to an event at my dad’s alma mater in Florida. That morning, we met with the VP of Advancement at the university and were talking about dad being part of the charter class. She mentioned there was another charter class member going to be there that night. When we got there, we “just happened” to sit next to that person. Getting to meet someone who remembered my dad made the entire evening for my mom, who was really nervous about going. I realized right away the last-minute scramble to make that small detail happen. When I thanked the VP for that pivot, she shared it took her staff moving a mountain to make the seating chart work, but it was a detail too important to miss.
As a MarComm professional, those same details matter when working with students and others. One of the biggest ways I see this is in storytelling. If we are spotlighting a student for a particular achievement, that is great. However, we can also better connect dots by asking what other activities they are involved in, their major, their hometown, etc. While those may not be relevant to the story, they add small touches to the story and create avenues to connect that story to others.
For example, we recently did a campaign featuring current students and alumni. I did a deep dive on the students. I wanted to know everything about them to prove they were strong academic students and were making a difference in their local community. As a result, we’ve been able to feature those students in countless spaces because we have the ability to leverage those small details for others.
Watching advancement colleagues focus on the small details has helped me slow down and be attentive to opportunities to do that across marketing efforts.
Cultivation
For donors, cultivation is bringing someone into the conversation and helping them grow in awareness until they want to make a gift of support.
In the world of MarComm, I replace the word cultivation with segmentation. Let that sink in, and it’s a mic drop moment. Our fundraising colleagues have long understood that everyone is in a different place and not all donors need the same message at the same time. The same is true of the audiences we are marketing to. Segmentation allows us to better tailor the message and ensure we’re meeting the needs of the audience, regardless of where they are.
One thing I’m really proud of that we do each year is a melt campaign through our strong Admissions partnership. We serve ads that are targeted to students based on where they are in the enrollment funnel. It takes coordination (and lots of it), but it also ensures that students see relevant advertising that moves them through the funnel.
I’m not sure I would work as hard at segmenting if I didn’t have such a strong understanding that people are in different places in their journey, and that knowledge definitely comes from my advancement background.
The Transaction is the Beginning
For a fundraising professional, the gift is the beginning. It’s when the relationship really starts. After a gift is made, the opportunity to steward the donor and cultivate further gifts begins.
As a MarComm professional, I try to view the first step for students as the beginning of the relationship. The goal is that students apply and then spend years earning their degree before transitioning to an alum (and hopefully donor). It can be tempting to focus on admitting a student and not work on retention efforts to make sure they have a great experience. This approach doesn’t consider the full lifecycle of the relationship.
For example, we work with our Admissions team on corporate partnerships for our campus. The signing of the new agreement is just the start. Without continued communication, we would not recognize the full impact of the program. Because I understand that, I’ve tried to work closely with the team about how to elevate the experience, including a luncheon, regular features, and recognition at events.
The perspective I gained from my advancement background on long-term relationships helps me continue thinking beyond the initial transaction.
What Else?
For those of you in the advancement space or who have a strong advancement background, I’m curious what I’m not considering about how an advancement background makes MarComm professionals better.
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