Narrowing the Field
CURRENTS Article Traditional alumni programs are about prompting graduates to do something—anything—for the institution. But these mass approaches, on their own, deliver small returns on large investments. Allocating some significant resources to a smaller group gives alumni professionals the opportunity to better engage a population that can truly advance the institution.

Social Prospects
CURRENTS Article This brief article looks at how Cornell University is using the profile information its alumni provide in its social media communities to identify potential donors.

Office Space: Prime Time
CURRENTS Article This column discusses how and why annual giving has grown more sophisticated and more important at higher education institutions in the past couple of decades as well as the challenge of engaging alumni in a weak economy amid rising college costs and student loan debt.

A More Perfect Union
CURRENTS Article From annual funds to capital campaigns, alumni relations and stewardship professionals are finding their paths crossing more than ever. Strategic collaboration between development and alumni relations enhances an advancement operation's bottom line.

The Debt Threat
CURRENTS Article A young alumnus would like to give to the annual fund, but his student loan debt is holding him back. What can advancement do to address this burgeoning problem?

Let’s Get Together
CURRENTS Article A growing number of institutions are recognizing the importance of reaching out to and involving alumni in meaningful ways—even encoding that outreach into a specific campaign goal.

Giving by Example
CURRENTS Article A group of Morehouse College alumni who received scholarships from Oprah Winfrey start their own scholarship fund, spurring other alumni affinity groups to do the same.

A Is for Affinity
CURRENTS Article A survey tool to gauge alumni affinity promises to help institutions prioritize fundraising, alumni relations, and communications efforts.

An Alumni Love Story
CURRENTS Article Antioch College closed in 2008 after years of mismanagement and acrimony. But since then, alumni have raised millions, and a new class of students will start this fall. What will the revived Antioch look like, and how will advancement's role at the college differ to keep history from repeating itself?

Conducive to Success
CURRENTS Article The best alumni relations officers understand the direct relationship of their work to resource gathering, and they integrate awareness of philanthropy and development programs and even solicitation into their work.

Cómo encontrar el enfoque correcto
CURRENTS Article Las asociaciones de ex alumnos cambian entre hacer conexiones con los ex alumnos y apoyar los objetivos de desarrollo

Finding the Right Gear
CURRENTS Article Even in the best financial times, the relationship between the development office and the alumni association can be uneasy. While some alumni leaders would never try to calculate an event’s success in funds raised, others find that their most important and successful events happen with development goals in mind.

Close Partners or Strange Bedfellows?
CURRENTS Article Some campuses have great success running the annual fund out of the alumni office. At other institutions, the functions remain successfully separate as long as the development and alumni relations offices coordinate their efforts.

AdvanceWork: Et Tu, Alumnus?
CURRENTS Article Are alumni effective fund raisers? Winston-Salem State University’s advancement officers seem to think so: To date, they’ve trained two dozen alumni to solicit gifts from fellow graduates. The training program, funded by the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, is part of WSSU’s effort to increase alumni giving and involvement.

Leap of Faith
CURRENTS Article Annual giving volunteers need to feel that their efforts are appreciated and that their contributions are making a difference. As Phillips Exeter Academy's development officers discovered, engaging volunteers by raising expectations can result in higher enthusiasm and greater fund-raising success.

AdvanceWork: Dollars from Diplomas
CURRENTS Article AdvanceWork: Dollars from Diplomas