The document discusses the structure and staffing of an ideal development office. It recommends focusing first on fund development and resource allocation. The ideal office would have one full-time employee each for relationship management, data management, annual giving management, operations, and administrative support, costing around $300,000 annually. This investment should generate over $1 million in unrestricted annual revenues within the first year. A major gift officer role is also described as being absent in most schools but critical for identifying and closing large transformational gifts.

1. The New Thinking: Structure,
Staffing, Organization and Focus

2. The Development Office
• Development
• Maximizes Charitable Giving and Fundraising Revenues…
period!
• You need money, NOT more reunions
• Alumni Relations
• Keeps the school “relevant” to alumni
• Is NOT about raising money
• Must be intentionally “strategic”
• Fund Development First (FDF)!

3. Resource Appropriately
• “Every organization is perfectly designed to get the
results it is getting”...
• Part-Time Staffing = Part-Time Results
• Strong Relationships = Large, Transformational Gifts
• Data “drives” the giving “engine”
• Yes, you need donor research
• Yes, you need a travel budget

4. The Model
• Development Fundamentals
• The “science” first, then the “art”
• Data mining to identify real prospects
• Annual fund as the “point of entry”
• Major gift officer following a MG process (sales!)
• A note on Alumni Relations
• When funded, begin strategic programming: Class Agents,
College Network, Career Network
• It’s not about what the school can do for it’s alumni, but what
they can do (NOW) for the school

5. The IDO (Ideal Development Office)
• Relationship Management
Strive for 1 FTE in each of
• Data Management these roles as a first step.
The cost of this operation is
• Annual Giving Management in the $300,000 range.
Annual unrestricted
• Operations revenues on this
investment should be in
• Administrative Support the $1 million plus range.

6. Major Gift (RM) Role
• Absent in most schools • 6 – 8 calls per
week.
• Go “fishing in the right pond” • Year 1-Budget
neutral
• Year 2-Revenues
• The right profile: = 2x cost
• Year 3-Revuenues
• Goal focused = 3x to 4x cost
• Activity oriented
• Motivated to achieve big goals
• Strong rapport building and interpersonal skills
• Delivers all “products” at the right time…no silos