A quiet retirement is a fund raising mistake

by Herschell Gordon Lewis

Marketing Communications

August 2006

When a faculty member retires, are you letting him or her slide gently into the mist?

You may be afoul of a basic rule of all fund raising: Relevance brings more response than generalities.

Each year faculty retirements can be a fecund source of contributions, especially from those who might otherwise not give. That's because the announcement has relevance - and it can include the rare combination of timeliness and gentleness.

"I know you'll want to be included in this tribute to Dr. Smith" will likely have considerably greater emotional impact on former students of Dr. Smith than would "Because I know your heart is still here at the university that gave you so much."

Of course, such an announcement sent to alumni who never attended one of Dr. Smith's classes, would be rather ineffective.

Herschell Gordon Lewis writes direct response copy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for clients worldwide. A former academician, his 29th published book is entitled "Open Me Now." His web site is www.herschellgordonlewis.com.