As summer winds down and our children and grandchildren get ready to go back to school, it’s not unusual to feel a little nostalgic for our own school memories. It’s also the perfect time to reconnect potential donors with their meaningful college and university experiences, and help them see the impact those experiences have had on their lives.

This season, as you visit with parents, alumni, and other potential donors, look for opportunities to perform one of the key roles in development:

Connect donors to one or more life-changing events in their lives.

• • • What events can you leverage to make connections with alumni?
    • Which donors or potential donors can you call or visit who have a child, grandchild, or great-grandchild attending your institution?
    • What questions can you ask to connect those donors with the people, places, and experiences at the institution that have made a difference in their lives?
    • What engagement activities will you create to reinforce and deepen these connections?

Our faculty partners can be a great source of unique and different engagement opportunities for donors and potential donors. Remember, “Development Magic” happens when the donor’s personal story connects to a philanthropic opportunity, project, or program.

See examples of life-changing stories, produced by our creative services team.