Insights

Higher ed marketing leaders should indeed use this disruptive moment to imagine voraciously, but don’t overlook the significance of incremental, momentum-building change.

When helping an institution answer critical questions about marketing structure, staffing and systems as part of an organizational capability assessment, I often think back to my time as a unit-level chief development officer early in my career. Please join me for a brief trip down memory lane to explain. I recall that formative experience well;…Read more

A broader view of alumni engagement requires openness to new organizational models that will best support and mobilize alumni to advance an institution’s goals.

I often refer to that classic story of the man who spent his life in search of riches only to discover that his own home sat over a diamond mine. The lesson from the story popularized in the late 19th century by Russell Conwell, founder of Temple University, suggests that what we seek, particularly in…Read more

Teams of recruiters and development officers tell us that high levels of personalization are impossible given all of the demands on their time. We’ve been told that personal notes just cannot be expected when inquiry pools and alumni lists are as large as they are. Taking time for a personal note following a visit or phone conversation or for a hand-written event may, in fact, be the best possible investment you can make…Read more

As a marketer in the higher ed arena, you have multiple challenges and an array of clients who need (and sometimes demand) your intelligent solutions to keep your institution afloat. It’s your president, however, who likely needs you most. From our research and experience with more than 130 colleges and universities, we offer the following suggestions of what she expects of you…Read more