“Wait, Am I Supposed to Fundraise Now Too?” A Department Chair’s Guide to Getting Started

“Wait, Am I Supposed to Fundraise Now Too?” A Department Chair’s Guide to Getting Started

Pop Quiz:

A beloved faculty member retires, and your department wants to honor them with a named scholarship.

Should you:
a) Hit up that top donor at the tailgate
b) Meet with Advancement and make a plan
c) Launch a GoFundMe and post it to the department's social media

If you picked B, congratulations – you’ve passed. If you're scratching your head, you're not alone. (And yes, every one of those quiz options I have witnessed personally.)

Far too often, faculty are either sprinting ahead trying to do it all themselves or sitting it out because the maze of advancement feels too intimidating. Neither of these extreme approaches do justice to your students, your honorees, or your own standing as a leader on campus.

Here’s the thing: most faculty don’t go into academia thinking they’ll ever be responsible for raising money. Then one day, they step into a department chair role and suddenly, fundraising is on the job description – but no one handed them a manual. It’s a lot to take on, especially when you’re already juggling budgets, personnel, and curriculum.

Though I’m an Advancement professional, I’ve worked directly with faculty on fundraising since the 20th century – and I’ve seen plenty of ways fundraising efforts can go sideways. These are the things that work to make you the Advancement team’s favorite faculty collaborator.

When you know who to call and how to work together, you not only raise more money, you build momentum, respect, and resources. Let’s talk about how to work effectively across campus.

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Development

Most of the folks in Development departments actually aren’t major gift officers who play golf all day. In reality, it’s the researchers, database managers, gift processors, accountants, and annual giving folks who are the real MVPs and can be your best resource as a department chair.

Development offices thrive when faculty help connect academic work to donor dreams. They’re looking for faculty who can paint a clear picture of how gifts support teaching, research, and student success.

Want to get off on the right foot? Here are three things you can do:

1. Meet with the donor research officer and ask for a list of the top 10 donors (or potential donors) to your area. Write all 10 a nice note with an update on the department.
2. Meet with the annual giving director about ways you can partner. Come prepared with a list of points of pride about your department, faculty, students, and research.
3. Anytime you send communication or meet with an alum or donor, find out how to relay that back to be added to the database. Most shops have a web form or a dedicated email address for this purpose.

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Alumni Association

Your former students aren’t just Facebook friends. They're potential mentors, donors, and champions for your department. The Alumni Association wants your help making those connections stick.
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Want to build better relationships with alumni staff and support your grads? Here are three ways to start:

1. Be a database darling! If you find out that someone has a new email or got divorced and they are a graduate, relay that information to be updated in the alumni database. There's always a disconnect if the faculty member is emailing them but then they don't get an email inviting them to homecoming from the institution.
2. If you find out about an alum receiving a big honor or award, relay that to the editor of the alumni magazine. The alum will feel honored and the alumni staff will love you.
3. Meet with the staffer planning homecoming and ask how your department can help get more of your grads there. Perhaps offer to host a tent for the tailgate.

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Campus Politics Around Giving

Yes, it can get political. Departments can get territorial. Your college or university will have its own fundraising priorities which may not match yours. Donors get pulled in ten directions – and when everyone goes rogue with fundraising, everybody loses.

Instead of guarding your turf, try building bridges. Focus on what the donor wants and how multiple units might work together. A shared proposal doesn’t dilute your message – it strengthens it. It shows you’re working as a team, which donors love.

Collaboration isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a strategy. And when faculty, development, and alumni relations team up, the results are bigger, better, and more sustainable. Truly, everyone working together advances the institution.
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So, the next time someone announces their intention to retire and you want to honor them with a scholarship, don’t wing it or walk away. Partner up. Think long-term. Be the faculty leader who understands how things get done – and gets them done with heart and strategy.

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Ready to take the next step?

If this post hit home, I’ve got something that’ll really help: a free 35-minute webinar called Building Fundraising Confidence for Department Chairs. It’s practical, empowering, and designed to help you stop second-guessing and start asking with clarity.

​You’ll get access immediately—and it’ll subscribe you to my newsletter where I share more strategies, stories, and insights for academic leaders who are learning how to fundraise without losing their minds.

Grab the webinar here and start building your confidence today

Cheers!

​PS - I hope you’ll continue the conversation by subscribing to Real Deal Fundraising. When you subscribe, you’ll get my e-newsletter, which includes the best articles on fundraising, productivity, and cool stuff every week. The whole thing is curated awesomeness as well as freebies like webinars, instructional videos, and whatever else I can put together to be helpful to you!

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