By Jay Gardiner

Jay Gardiner is Assistant Dean and Director of Athletics at Oglethorpe University. He has also served as Associate Athletic Director for Development at Miami (Ohio) and Tulane Universities and Athletic Director at Bellarmine College, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and Cincinnati Country Day School. He can be reached at: jgardiner@Oglethorpe.edu.

As an athletic director at a small school, I sometimes feel like the plate spinner on the old Ed Sullivan Show. Just when I get one plate spinning, I need to run to the next to keep it going, as a third plate begins to fall off. In the hectic environment that we find ourselves immersed in, how can an athletic administrator find time to raise money?

I had the advantage of arriving here at Oglethorpe University, an NCAA Division III school, after serving as Associate Athletic Director of Development at a Division I institution. Focusing my full attention on the task of raising money to support athletics is something not many Division III athletic directors have in their backgrounds, and I feel fortunate that I do.

It has helped me devise a strategy for fundraising that combines what I learned in a big-time environment with the advantages of being at a small, academically strong school. It has also helped me understand the challenges of this task, which is the first step to finding solutions.

OUR LIMITATIONS
The first obstacle that most small college athletic directors face in implementing a comprehensive fundraising plan is a lack of time. It can feel overwhelming to strategize about raising money when we also need to clean gym floors, schedule facility usage, and in some cases, even coach a team on the side.

At the major college level, universities commit at least one full-time person to the task of raising funds for their athletic programs. Athletic directors play a role in the process, generally working as the "closer" in finishing the deal. At the Division III level, however, there aren't usually any foot soldiers to do research and cultivation. Instead, that work often falls to the athletic director.

The second roadblock is the misperception that being competitive and winning championships is unimportant. Because we often focus on the academic success of our student-athletes and are most proud of graduating young men and women who go on to lead successful lives, we tend to downplay the significance of on-the-field success. This can make fundraising for athletics a tough row to hoe.

Finally, at the small college level, we must encourage donors to give for simply altruistic reasons. We cannot offer tangible benefits such as preferential seating in a huge stadium or invitations to bowl games, as is typical at the Division I level. We can implement similar ideas at the small college level, but it is questionable how useful they are in raising money.

What are some ways to navigate these obstacles? I have found solutions in partnering with central administration, developing the right selling points, and simply connecting potential donors to our cause. Raising money at a small college does have its limitations, but it also has its rewards.

CENTRAL PARTNERS
The lack of time athletic directors face in trying to get their jobs done is very real. It's not just about time management. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to be an athletic director and do major fundraising. That's why I found it critical to connect with the university's central development staff.

At my institution, all fundraising projects need to go through the office of the Vice President of Development. Sometimes, a first reaction to having our work reviewed by others is, "What a headache!" But I have found this organizational structure to be more helpful than cumbersome.

For one thing, it prevents embarrassing errors and poor communication that often occur when the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing. For another, it offers me a team of experts who are well versed on everything from tax issues to gift receipting.

And though it may not sound like it at first, it saves me time. Using the talents and resources of people whose primary focus is to raise money is like having a designated fundraising staff member working for athletics. I let them do their job so that I don't have to.

For example, all mass appeal letters that I write are actually co-authored by a member of the annual fund staff. The letter comes from me, so the message is one that I want prospects to hear, but the burden of the project is left for others to handle. They manage the mailing process and figure out the timing of the letter so it doesn't conflict with other appeals.

It has also proved helpful to partner with central fundraising on our donor database. When I first arrived at Oglethorpe, we had a unique database for athletic department prospects that differed greatly from the one housed in development. Now, all the names and addresses are in one central location. This saves us a huge amount of time in solving any issues like old addresses, wrong names, or the removal of deceased donors. Maintaining a database is a key to development, and I've essentially been able to remove this task from my plate. I also feel confident the database is being managed in an appropriate, systematic manner.

For those of us with tight budgets, working in conjunction with development may also lead to cost savings. Their department is usually willing to pick up the cost of mailings and the production of public relations items that otherwise would need to be paid for by the athletic department.

It is equally important to work with the Vice President for Development regarding all facility upgrades and capital fund projects. I am fortunate that our Vice President has a real interest in athletics, and every upgrade or new build that has occurred in our athletic program has been a joint effort with the development office.

But even if you don't have this ideal situation, it's important to find a way to work with the head of fundraising. Getting the Development VP to include upgrades in athletics with other university plans is crucial to moving forward in a positive way. I have worked hard to maintain a respectful and friendly relationship with our VP, and he has provided wonderful counsel and strategic planning for the upgrades we now have.

On one occasion, he and I spoke with a parent who had indicated his willingness to provide a specific item for the team his child played on. After some planning and a visit, we were able to secure a gift of equal value for multiple years, while still getting the item he had initially suggested. Working closely with the development staff saves valuable time while also ensuring you maximize efforts on behalf of all your student-athletes.

SELLING POINTS
Without the glamour of national media coverage and a substantial fan following, those of us at the small college level need to find our own niche for appealing to donors. Traditionally, we tend to boast about our student-athletes' off-field success. This is a great strategy, but it can also give the perception that winning is less important. And that leads donors to not feel compelled to open their wallets to athletics.

When I speak with potential donors, I am very proud to talk about the academic success of our athletes, but I try to make a point of tying it in with athletic success. No one in an athletic department is satisfied with anything less than being very competitive, and we need to make that one of our selling points.

In fact, one of my favorite conversations with prospective donors is about how small time does not equal unimportant. I explain that it isn't less significant for our athletes to win games--it just isn't the only thing in their lives. I tell them we need more resources, gained through their donations, to boost our chances of on-field success.

Getting potential donors to come out to games is key in driving this point home. Whenever donors see how hard our athletes fight to win, the fact that contests aren't covered by the media becomes less important in the cultivation process.

One gift we recently received was from a board member who attended his first basketball game. He met our players, watched our team compete extremely well, and decided he needed to help support the program. He made his first ever gift to athletics shortly after that visit.

We can also do some things to make the small college event feel like the big time. Here at Oglethorpe, we provide a hospitality area, have halftime entertainment, and promote our games. We make sure our contests include all the elements that bring excitement to fans and players.

Recently, we won our first ever national championship when our men's golf team brought home the 2009 NCAA Division III title. We hope to leverage this on-the-course success to increase our opportunities to raise money for the department. We are proudly telling potential donors about this national accomplishment--and that it's a big deal.

We are also planning a special dinner to honor the team at one of the premier golf clubs in Atlanta. We will invite golf celebrities and other guests who may be inspired to support our cause in a very substantial manner.

At the same time, it is important that we still showcase student-athletes as our primary focus, not championships alone. We can't forget to emphasize the importance of the character and personality of our young people. Donors love the quality of our student-athletes and this is still our best selling point. The key is that this message goes hand-in-hand with our desire to be competitive.

THE STUDENT-ATHLETE CONNECTION
How do you promote those selling points? How do you get donors to experience your student-athletes on and off the field? The best strategy is to allow prospects to get to know your student-athletes firsthand.

Cultivating a gift at the small college level requires that donors feel connected to your institution. If we can allow them to take pride in our institution's student-athletes--if they can believe in the quality of the individuals performing for the school--they will be more likely to give.

I often ask some of our most successful student-athletes to meet donors and encourage them to attend games. From the initial meeting, prospects get a sense of the nature of our athletes. From their experience at the game, they can feel the passion generated at competitions.

In addition, throughout the year, we invite donors to special awards celebrations so they can interact with and take pride in our athletes in another light. This includes our Hall of Fame induction in the spring, a Circle of Honor event in the fall, an Academic Awards program, and team banquets. This helps us again reveal the character of our student-athletes along with their achievements.

One of our most loyal supporters is a relatively young alumnus who becomes emotional when he talks about his years at our institution. He was never an athlete himself, but has told me how much he admired his classmates who excelled both on the field and in the classroom. His modest gifts have grown over the years, but his biggest gift was given in appreciation of our continued achievement of an overall athletic department grade point average that exceeds the university's general grade point average. That was his "proudest moment" as a loyal supporter.

Being willing to focus the attention of a potential donor on the areas that your institution truly exceeds in will provide an avenue to raise more money than you ever thought possible. When you have a major achievement like winning a championship, it becomes the climax to your story. Find ways for donors to take pride in your athletic programs, and it will greatly aid in achieving your goals.

Sidebar: NOT RIGHT NOW
Raising money is never easy, but it can be exceedingly difficult in a nationwide economic downturn. How should athletic directors proceed?

If you aren't dependent on fundraising dollars to survive, I suggest focusing on the cultivation process. Use the beginning of this school year to fully invest prospects in your program and avoid asking for any money for at least a few months.

When the economy starts to rebound, then think about the ask. You may find that your willingness to simply stay connected during the economic storm will pay dividends at a later date.

Sidebar: EXTRA HELP
Here at Oglethorpe, in order to expand our fundraising efforts without taking up more of my time, we are designating one of our coaches as Fundraising Liaison. Most of our coaches have at least one other department-wide responsibility, but some do not. We asked one of our coaches who did not already have other tasks to take on this new role.

The Fundraising Liaison will be in charge of our annual fundraising drive. He will coordinate my letter with our development office, create thank-you notes, and keep me up to speed on gifts so that I can make sure to thank donors when I see them on campus.

This strategy is new for us, so its success is still in question. But our hope is that these efforts in sharing the responsibility of managing fundraising for athletics will prove worthwhile.