Give or Get Off: The Role of Trustees in College Fundraising

Abstract

Abstract:These three case studies of small, private liberal arts colleges examine trustee involvement in fundraising. While board giving was nearly 100%, board members were rarely involved in soliciting gifts, except from each other. None of the boards set fundraising policy, which instead came from the presidents and development offices, and most trustees displayed little depth of knowledge about the role of advancement at their institution. This does not align with the claims of either hortatory or theoretical literature, which state that trustees ought to set institutional policy, donate funds, and further advancement work via referring and soliciting prospects. These findings suggest that our expectations for trustees are unrealistic as the roles are presently framed.