Stuck in the middle… the role of department heads in raising funds…

One of the expectations… no duties… of being a middle level administrator is something called “development”… or what most would call “fund raising.” This hasn't always been the case but in these days our duties are always growing. It’s not enough that department heads deal with somewhat egotistical but highly productive colleagues, chronic lack of travel funds, GTAs with problematic students, parents who “want to get their money’s worth”, alumni who need to let you know “what it’s really like out there,” dirty floors and shortages in the coffee fund. Now, it’s pretty much "all about money" and it’s part of our job to find it.

The story you get is that this is all about “relationship development” and for those of us in communication, we are supposed to be good at this anyway… don’t we “study it.” Well… of course this is true. Right. But let’s get past this. We could be bogged down with this myth for some time.

When I first began to get involved in the “development scene” I had a lot of assumptions… it seems from the outside like there is order and a reasonably clear processes… for most academics it’s a black box and we just assume that our development offices are well oiled operation with hordes of organized and professional fund raisers scouring the countryside for alumni dying to “give back” to their alma mater.

Then you fall down the rabbit hole and the truth emerges…

More on this and my “five truths about fund raising” in the next edition.