Behavioral Characteristics of Higher Education Fund-raisers
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Behavioral Characteristics of Higher Education Fund-raisers Received (in revised form): September 15, 2006
Lawrence J. Ryan is a licensed clinical psychologist whose career has included over 35 years of service to higher education. He has held positions as professor, department chair, dean, and academic vice president. For the past 15 years he has been associated with The Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA where he mentors doctoral candidates and chairs the Ph.D. Concentration in psychology.
Abstract Worth and Asp (1995) identified four characteristic roles that are likely to be engaged by higher education fundraisers: salesperson, catalyst, manager, and leader. In this study, a questionnaire was designed to elicit the level of importance that development officers, place in each of the four roles. One hundred and seventy-nine randomly selected development officers at US colleges and universities responded to the questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed acceptable levels of reliability for all four of the behavioral roles included in the questionnaire. No significant differences were, however, observed between the mean rating scores for any of the four roles. It appears that a broad range of behavioral roles is expected of fundraisers. Fund-raisers are likely to adapt a behavioral role depending to suit the fund-raising activity engaged. The role of the higher education fund-raiser involves significant shifts in personal Author’s Contact Address: Lawrence J. Ryan, 10685 Somma Way Bel Air, CA 90077, USA Tel: 310 472-8015 E-mail: [email protected]
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and behavioral styles depending on the nature of the fund-raising project. The current study indicates the need for diverse experience in the preprofessional and in-service training of higher education fund-raisers. International Journal of Educational Advancement (2006) 6, 282–288. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ijea.2150035
Keywords: fund-raisers, behavioral characteristics, professional roles
Introduction In the last two decades the profession of fund raising in higher education has emerged as a major force on American campuses. In both private and public institutions highly visible resources of personnel, time, and space have been invested in the processes associated with seeking nontuition-based funds to support the mission of institutions of higher education. Most large institutions have well-organized development/advancement offices with at least one and often multiple persons employed in each of the ten or more distinct fund-raising functions. Even in the smallest colleges at least one
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT. VOL.6 NO.4 282–288 © 2006 PALGRAVE MACMILLAN LTD. ISSN 1744–6503 $30.00 www.palgrave-journals.com/ijea
Behavioral Characteristics of Higher Education Fund-raisers
position is designated as the vicepresident/director of development with responsibility for coordinating institutional advancement efforts. At least several major organizations are dedicated to the professional interests of development/advancement
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