In a recent interview about planning for 2020 and beyond, Kevin Bauman, Capture Higher Ed’s director of philanthropic initiatives and one of the hosts of Capture’s new podcast The Buzz, was asked to look back at the “Twenty Teens” and offer what he thought would be most remembered by advancement professionals.
“The main thing they’ll think about is the changes in the solicitation calendar,” he says. “I started as a student caller back in 2001, and here we are in 2019 and many institutions are removing their phone-a-thon environment entirely or they’re cutting back on that channel significantly.
“So, most people will think about how in ‘the teens’ there was a pretty seismic shift in the way alumni were engaging with the institution and the transition to a digital environment.”
Bauman was being interviewed for Capture’s upcoming e-feature, Do You Have 2020 Vision? Planning for Next Year and Beyond. During the Q&A, he talks about his biggest reasons for optimism and concerns in the advancement space; what’s the first thing he would do if he were taking over an advancement office today; and, of course, the rapidly changing solicitation channels.
“That’s one of the topics we’re really excited to cover in the paper is how traditionally we’ve been using solicitation channels like phone-a-thon, direct mail, email communications,” he says. “[But today] more and more alumni are choosing to develop a relationship — on their own time — with the institution on the website.”
Do you want to hear what Kevin thinks advancement offices should be considering and implementing as they focus on 2020 and beyond? Keep an eye out for Do You Have 2020 Vision? Planning for Next Year and Beyond. As colleges and universities embark on a new fiscal year, they might be finding things a tad dark and blurry. But Capture has just the prescription.
By Kevin Hyde, Senior Content Writer, Capture Higher Ed
