M&L Minute #2
Institutions with higher campaign goals saw higher participation rates in board campaign giving. (See Chart D)

Board participation rates were high across the sectors, underscoring the crucial role boards play in the overall success of campaigns. Almost 60% of private higher education and independent school respondents declared 100% board participation for campaigns.

Not surprisingly, there is a negative correlation between the percentage of total campaign dollars contributed by the board and the size of the campaign goal. On average, boards contribute 24% of the campaign goal. However, boards contribute 28% of the campaign total when the goal is less than $25 million, and only 11% of the campaign total when the goal is more than $250 million.

Independent school boards contribute a significantly higher percentage of campaign goals (33%) than higher education boards (16%).

This finding is not surprising given that schools tend to have smaller campaign goals than colleges and universities. Quite often there is a greater degree of personal ownership in school campaigns due to smaller constituencies, and schools frequently find it difficult to raise significant gifts in the absence of generous board support.4 Schools tend to rely on board fundraising, while higher education institutions tend to have more staff-driven development programs that are less dependent on board fundraising to make a campaign successful.

More than thirty percent of respondents reported that board members "cultivate and solicit annual, major, and capital contributions." In contrast, 43% disclosed that their board members do not solicit gifts.

Although the survey did not look at the dollar amount secured through board cultivation and solicitation, the importance of board fundraising involvement is evident when looking at board giving. More than 55% of institutions that report cultivation and solicitation of annual, major, and capital contributions by board members reported 100% participation of unrestricted annual gifts and 100% participation in the most recently completed campaign.

On average, boards contribute 24% of the campaign goal. However, boards contribute 28% of the campaign total when the goal is less than $25 million, and only 11% of the campaign total when the goal is more than $250 million.

However, the degree to which boards are actively engaged in fundraising varies widely. Respondents most frequently reported that two to five board members were actively fundraising or that only the development committee members were engaged in solicitations. Yet, others reported 50% of their boards were actively engaged in fundraising, and one institution described its board chair as working as a full-time fundraiser for the school by soliciting million-dollar gifts.

Our experience with clients suggests that board fundraising involvement depends on numerous, institution-specific variables, such as the philanthropic culture and expectations of the board, a tradition of board involvement in fundraising, wealth of the board, tenure of board members, and board training. More active fundraising boards tend to recognize philanthropic activity as part of their board role. Even when board members are committed to fundraising, it is imperative that the Advancement Office is prepared to provide them with support and training to help board members succeed in their solicitation experiences.

4 According to Council for Aid to Education's Voluntary Support of Education Survey data, Boarding Schools and Day Schools have received a significantly higher percentage of giving from their Boards of Directors, during the past decade, than colleges have. This table averages board giving as a percentage of total giving among 50 institutions in each of the categories.

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