Liberal Arts Development/Alumni Relations

Major Gift Fundraising

Development officers meet with donors and prospective donors from around the country in an effort to secure support for the college. When appropriate, department heads and faculty members work with the dean and the college’s development officers to identify, cultivate, and solicit donors. Because many of our alumni have multiple connections at the University and support many areas, the development officers work with others on campus to implement a coordinated cultivation strategy. For that reason, it is imperative that the college development officers be fully informed of all faculty and staff contacts with alumni and friends.

Department heads are encouraged to share information about their programs, initiatives, and fundraising opportunities with the development officers. This information is shared with donors during visits and with alumni and friends in appropriate mailings and at events.

Click here for more information on making gifts to the College of Liberal Arts.

Annual Day of Giving, Day-to-Day Development Activities, and Alumni Relations

Each year, traditionally on the fourth Wednesday in April, Purdue hosts a “Day of Giving” (DoG) with various fundraising goals and competitions across colleges. For this effort, participation percentage is more important than dollar amounts as we try to encourage as many people as possible to contribute to CLA and departmental programming and initiatives. DoG is only one day a year but some alumni, employees, and friends of the university like to wait until this day to make their gifts. For this reason, it is helpful to advertise the date for the DoG and provide the relevant links for making gifts in your departmental newsletter and other communications.

Beyond fundraising, a related goal for department heads is to maintain and develop positive relations with their alumni, connecting with as many of them as possible and inviting them back to talk with students, etc. You may also consider establishing an alumni advisory board, if your department does not yet have one.

The College encourages you to build a strong relationship with our dedicated development officers, currently Aaron Kosdrosky and Christina Harrison, who will assist you in conjunction with the CLA Dean on a case-by-case basis in fundraising matters. Department Heads generally do not make the actual asks for gifts but instead help pitch the vision for the unit so that potential donors can envision how their funds would be put to good use.