For Alumni, Your Best Fundraisers Might Not Be in Your Advancement Office

When advancement leaders think about fundraising strategy, the focus often turns inward toward staffing, metrics, and internal goals. These are all important components of an advancement office, but an often overlooked truth in fundraising is this: Some of your most effective fundraisers don’t work in your advancement office.

They’re on your campus every day teaching, coaching, mentoring, and building relationships that last for decades.

Think about your last alumni event. When alumni returned to campus, who did they seek out? It’s rarely the major gift officer. It’s the coach who shaped them, the teacher who taught them, and the advisor who guided them. These are the individuals who built the deepest, most authentic relationships. They earned trust not through a series of meetings, but through consistent, meaningful presence over time.

That kind of connection is powerful, and it’s highly relevant to your fundraising efforts.

Expanding the Definition of “Fundraiser”

It is important to say that this doesn’t mean faculty or staff members should be making direct appeals for gifts. That’s not the goal, and in many cases, it’s not appropriate. All solicitations for gifts should be coordinated through the Advancement Office.

Instead, it means rethinking what it means to be part of the fundraising process. A single theme is present in nearly every AdvancementEDU article: Philanthropy is built on relationships. Gifts are built on trust, connection, and a shared belief in your school’s mission.

With relationships at the core of fundraising, many people across your campus are already doing fundraising work. They just don’t call it that.

Turning Relationships Into Institutional Strength

If faculty, coaches, and staff are already building meaningful relationships, the question becomes how you meaningfully and authentically align those relationships with your advancement priorities.

First, identify the people on your campus who are the natural connectors between the school and alumni and parents. Understand who they are and where their relationships are strongest.

Second, speak with them about your institutional priorities, your current initiatives, and your advancement goals. Come alongside those people as partners and equip them to authentically represent your office in their conversations.

Third, break down silos and encourage two-way communication between those connectors and your office. We spoke to a faculty member recently who had been to six alumni weddings in the last 12 months. At each, he had dozens of meaningful conversations with alumni that led to many engagement opportunities for advancement.

Finally, respect and protect these authentic relationships. You should never “use” someone to further your fundraising efforts. Instead, honor their relationship and partner in a way that enhances their connection and builds a deeper relationship with your institution.

A Final Thought

Remember that your advancement team members are not the only relationship-builders on your campus. Their relationships likely don’t live in your CRM, and if you don’t get out, break down silos, and engage with your own community, you may never know they’re there.