John Lombardi believes that UMass Amherst presents “an
irresistible investment opportunity.” Now those who
feel the same as the chancellor can put their money where
their hearts are via the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Foundation.
On the heels of his inauguration, Lombardi initiated the
creation of the private nonprofit corporation, a fundraising
vehicle dedicated exclusively to the Amherst campus, which
aims to muster and expand alumni support and build on the
earlier success of Campaign UMass. And, as the chancellor
sees it, the foundation offers “an identity and a place
for donors.” Its volunteer board of directors, as well
as ex-officio members, will provide, in Lombardi’s words,
“direction, guidance, inspiration and wisdom.”
The foundation will also draw upon the investment expertise
of the University of Massachusetts Foundation, which manages
funds given to the state university system as a whole, as
well as the services of UMass Amherst staff and resources.
As its executive director, Elizabeth Dale, vice chancellor
for university advancement, will oversee the foundation’s
operations.
In an interview with UMass Magazine, Lombardi noted that
another benefit of the foundation will be its ability to ensure,
when people give to UMass Amherst, “a seamless process
from deposit of the gift to its acknowledgment.” He
emphasized the importance of stewardship, which keeps donors
informed of just how, and how well, their gifts are being
applied.
Of course, first the gifts must be gotten. Fortunately for
UMass Amherst, Lombardi is an old hand at fundraising for
higher education. In what seems to be his own seamless style
of explication, he articulates the how-to of a fundraising
campaign step by step, so comprehensively and persuasively
that one can almost see the buildings going up and the students
depositing their scholarship checks. The new foundation will
serve as, well, a foundation on which to build just such a
campaign, scheduled to begin in 2004.
According to Lombardi, UMass Amherst is about a “generation”
behind in its fundraising work; most major public research
universities have already set up foundations, for instance.
The good news, he points out, is that because “the path’s
laid out, we can move much faster.” Given the bad news
in the papers every day about the state’s finances,
speed would seem imperative. Yet Lombardi doesn’t believe
that hard times really affect the university’s chances
of eliciting financial support from the private sector. “From
the donor’s point of view, what matters is the success
of the enterprise,” he says – and he shows no
lack of conviction about UMass Amherst’s track record
or its potential.
Among UMass Amherst’s greatest strengths, the chancellor
says, are “its national recognition and its substance:
It’s easy to make the case.” He becomes especially
animated when he talks about alums: “They have success
stories they’re eager to tell and happy to share. Those
stories strike a familiar chord with many others.… Our
constituency is extremely positive. If we hear any complaints,
it’s that we don’t tell enough other people what
they know. You don’t have to persuade the alums it’s
good – they’re already convinced.”
Not that Lombardi discounts the fact that fundraising is,
in his own words, “hard work.” He says with a
smile, “Some people think it’s going to a party
and schmoozing, but it requires the same attention to professionalism,
efficiency and accountability as anything else you do.”
He also acknowledges that there’s plenty of competition
for money, and no shortage of worthy causes. Or, as he puts
it: When you go to Boston, and you shout the name of UMass
Amherst, there’s a lot of other “noise.”
So although “getting the audience” is a challenge,
once you do, says Lombardi, “You don’t have to
pretend; you don’t have to make promises about the future.”
To those who might ask: Why give to a place where the buildings
are falling apart? Lombardi has a ready comeback, one that
turns that argument neatly on its head: Where some see cracks
in the plaster, he see opportunities for investment. In fact,
he has arguments powerful enough to override most every objection.
Why give private dollars to a public institution? Because
the state only provides enough for “baseline performance.”
Private dollars are needed “to be terrific.” (What’s
more, the public institution is a better investment than a
private one, because, with some costs covered by the state,
return on every donated dollar is higher.) Why not give, say,
to a certain prestigious university in Cambridge, Massachusetts?
Because, says the chancellor, many gifts that would be just
a drop in the bucket to a school with an “18-billion-dollar
endowment,” will have far more impact at UMass Amherst.
There’s a chance to make “a huge difference for
a reasonable amount of money…you can be a true hero.”
As an example of one such investment, he points to the recently
transformed Bezanson Concert Hall.
“When a donor makes a gift,” says Lombardi, “that
person is often the happiest person in the room.…That
person feels: Making this gift is the happiest, most fun,
most meaningful, best thing I have ever done.” He goes
on, “Some think that people give for tax purposes, for
fame, but it’s the personal experience of commitment”
that motivates many people. Having said earlier in the interview
that fundraising is a “sweep of the universe,”
an effort to approach and include first, everyone with a direct
relationship to UMass Amherst, and then their friends and
colleagues, Lombardi brings the story full circle when he
concludes that the work is “highly personal” as
well. Lombardi even likens it to teaching: It’s about
“transforming” someone’s life, understanding
each individual’s need and “what makes giving
meaningful.”
