Odds and Ends: Owning Overhead
CURRENTS Article In this Q-and-A interview with Dan Pallotta, the social entrepreneur and author discusses why overhead is the wrong metric by which to judge a charity; some changes that nonprofit boards need to make; and his advocacy for the nonprofit sector, including the Charity Defense Council organization he started.

Really Doing More with Less
CURRENTS Article DePaul University made the unpopular decision several years ago to limit major gift officers' portfolios to 70 prospective donors. The new system, which included changes designed to improve accountability, forced the development office to prioritize the prospect pool more effectively. The department has seen increases in both the volume of gifts and amount raised.

Outlook: Advancement's Faulty Foundation
CURRENTS Article Andrew W. Reeher, CEO of Reeher LLC, offers advice on how colleges and universities can make better investments of time and money in their fundraising operations.

Managing Up
CURRENTS Article When institutional leaders lay out unrealistic fundraising expectations, it helps to educate them about the unique fundraising needs and approaches of your institution.

Better Together
CURRENTS Article Assessments in higher education are common—exams, state board tests, surveys, and focus groups, among other instruments. However, Widener University's convergence of academic assessment, strategic planning, and reaccreditation—and how they all inform and direct fundraising and campaign planning—is unique.

Advance Work: Fun with Ratios
CURRENTS Article Using data from the Association of American Universities and U.S. News and World Report, an alumni professional devised a way to determine how alumni relations staffing affects fundraising.

Talking Points: For All You're Worth
CURRENTS Article Although you know how much money you make, it's hard to measure advancement officers' worth to their institutions, and to demonstrate that the institution is receiving a good return on its investment in you. Lippincott, CASE vice president for communications, outlines some crucial principles for measuring and reporting advancement's performance.

Weighing Dollars with Sense
CURRENTS Article The central purpose of development offices is to raise money. But to measure their effectiveness based solely on rigid dollar figures would be shortsighted, say many chief development officers. Some of these forward-thinking managers now assess the effectiveness of their operations by how well their efforts support the institution’s mission and goals, develop new and long-term relationships with potential donors, and move prospects and donors toward greater participation in the institution.

Learning the Ropes
CURRENTS Article Kelly reviews the use of several common models of the fund-raising process and discusses the value of using her five-step process of research, objectives, programming, evaluation, and stewardship (ROPES). Each of these components is described in detail. This article is adapted from chapter 10 of Dr. Kelly's book, "Effective Fund-Raising Management".