Cover Story: Know Your Mission, 
Grow Your Mission

"Focus on your mission every day," she says. "Ask yourself daily, 'Does this gift, this meeting, this interaction forward our organization's mission?' If the answer is yes, then keep moving forward. But if the answer is no, then it's time to redirect your energies."

The advent of online as a fundraising medium and social-
networking as an engagement device has been crucial in education-based fundraising, Ryan says, because it allows schools to quickly and more economically bridge the gap that evolves as graduates relocate.

"With a donor base across the country, our Facebook page and other online social-media tools have allowed us to re-engage with our alumni, whether through mentoring, job networking or information sharing, in an avenue we have never seen before. We are also finding that these tools are significant in sharing the story of donors and volunteers, and inspiring others to be involved."

Ryan points to an influx of online donations that came in by the Monday after a weekend football game as an example of the power of online to tap in to the school pride that often is the impetus for giving to universities.

As for the future of education-based fundraising, Ryan sees these trends already taking hold and predicts they'll continue to play an increasingly important role in strategic planning:

1. Donors are becoming more savvy with technology; fundraisers have to keep up with them.

2. The face of the donor is starting to become more global.

3. Donors want to be more hands-on and involved in the gift process.

"Although I think there are a lot of changes on the horizon, a basic principle of fundraising still exists: It is all about the 
personal relationship we have with the donor," Ryan says. "For every few e-mails we send or posts we make on Facebook, we should challenge ourselves to get out and visit just as many of our donors face to face."