The last thing a university development officer needs right now is a marketing agency lecture about having the courage to stand up to the headwinds of change and tell their story boldly. Or to go ahead and launch a campaign with the same vigor and ambition as they might have before all of… this.
But when a trusted higher ed thought partner recently reached out for guidance, acknowledging they’ve been “laying low HARD since the top of the year” and are now looking to make some moves, I took it as an invitation to crystallize my thoughts on a tricky topic — and, as it were, issue an industry-wide call-to-action to reintroduce/reframe a culture of courage in higher ed.
Yes, academia has navigated PR snafus and unprecedented presidential transitions of late and a global pandemic, for goodness’ sake. Still, this time feels different and especially hard. The landscape has irreversibly shifted. But rather than accepting defeat, let’s acknowledge the change and find new ways to push forward. Focus our vision. Sharpen our tools. Reprioritize what we do, why we do it, and how to do it best in this altered landscape. And collectively un-press the pause button and proceed with courage.
Make it About Mission.
University mission statements weren’t written to sit on a (virtual) shelf, but to constantly hold us accountable to what our shared values would have us do to fulfill both our founding and forward-facing purpose.
I vividly remember, back in March, then- Georgetown Law dean William Treanor responding to cease-and-and desist DEI orders from an interim US Attorney by calling out an “attack on the University’s mission as a Jesuit and Catholic institution.” This July, I was thrilled to hear his CASE Advancement Summit keynote, where he detailed his public fight to defend Georgetown’s religious and academic freedoms, his petition among law schools, and his challenge to us all: Courage is contagious. It takes one lead champion, and then a few early adopters, to start us all moving forward.
In that vein, take a critical look at the articulation of your institutional mission, both in its wording and its implementation across communications. Does it still honor the core/driving sentiment of the institution, while feeling relevant and resonant in today’s macro environment? If not, sharpen pencils. Ensuring the whole organization is ‘bought into’ the declaration–and, subsequently, the actualization–of your stated mission and vision will simultaneously help sharpen donor appeals.
Go All in on AI.
AI isn’t the future; it’s the here and now. If you want to be competitive, you’ve got to do more than dabble; you need to purposefully experiment with and implement AI on your advancement team.
I’ve heard lots of chatter about AI identifying and researching donor prospects, generating fundraising content, and helping to personalize donor outreach and appeals. I even ‘met’ a few Virtual Engagement Officers this summer as advancement leaders at institutions including William & Mary, Texas State University, and Bucknell University shared conference stages with their AI advancement counterparts–giving them the floor to initiate conversation and, in some cases, asking them to put their skills to the test live and in real time.
It begs the question: could AI signal requisite university/advancement team restructures? Absolutely. But bravery would dictate that we think of AI less as a threat to human resources and more as a smart staffing-up or augmentation strategy. Maybe ‘restructure’ actually means reassigning select staff roles to focus on advancing AI integration. That’s an all-around sound investment in the future.
Lean into Research ROI.
We all know (all too well) that research is being defunded—or at least threatened—at the federal level. And while that surely invites commiseration, it’s critical now to pivot into constructive strategies.
For starters, bring research stories to the surface and tell them in ways that underscore the urgency and necessity of funding them. I penned an op-ed with a colleague in 2022 about research universities shortchanging their storytelling and, spoiler alert, things haven’t materially improved since. Of course, there are standout storytelling exceptions, like Harvard and Johns Hopkins’ ingenious research tribute homepage takeovers. While the messages themselves were simple—“Research Powers Progress” and “Research Saves Lives,” respectively—the statements were powerful in their placement, scale, and straightforwardness.
Another way in is to openly advocate for critical research funding. UC San Diego’s “Behind Every Breakthrough” campaign issues a clear call to action to protect the future of discovery.
Beyond public research storytelling, I highly recommend private research fundraising—shaping uber-tailored cases for support to individual donors and delivering them in dynamic and even unexpected ways like personal video appeals or one-time-use social accounts. Sure, it can feel like a big/bold investment against a limited audience… but think instead of the massive financial prospect.
Proceed with Caution Courage
Unquestionably, there is some measure of calculated risk in taking a stand, doubling down, or pushing ahead. But some would argue (some being me) even more significant risk in saying silent or letting the script be rewritten for us. What’s needed now is courage and category/categorical leadership.
