Office Space: Give Us All Your Data
CURRENTS Article This column takes the position that advancement services should manage the institution's database of record, not just the segments that pertain to alumni and development. This is the model currently used by Columbia College Chicago, where advancement services tracks relationships with all of the college's constituents, including alumni, parents, faculty, staff, donors, trustees, friends, and students.

The Brain Trust
CURRENTS Article Historically, advancement services' responsibilities have been to keep donor and alumni records current, process gifts, and send out receipts. Advancement services has taken on more duties in recent years as institutions change the way they collect, analyze, report, and use data for strategic purposes.

Going Fourth
CURRENTS Article Advancement services, known as the fourth leg of the advancement stool, is about more than gift processing. Advancement services staff funnel massive alumni and prospect data into information that development offices can use to cultivate and steward donors. The more that each operation knows how the other works, the more successful the institution will be in raising funds.