Leadership
in Giving
A
New Director of the Annual Fund
- By Rachel Moulton ’97
Jill M. Brown
was ready for a change. After working as the Assistant Director of Annual
Giving at Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio, a position she held
for two and a half years, and earning two bachelor’s degrees, Jill
was excited to find the on-line posting for Director of the Annual Fund
at Antioch College. She applied immediately.
Jill has a BA in psychology and a BS in organizational leadership, both
from Wright State University. She says both degrees have helped her to
feel qualified and ready for this challenging new position: “With
Development there are very few schools that actually offer degrees, but
you have to know how to reach out to people. Psychology gave me an understanding
of how people work, what touches people and how to reach out. My organizational
leadership degree is also very helpful. We learned a lot about missions,
goal planning, strategies and how to be a successful leader. That’s
exactly what’s needed at Antioch, someone to lead this program.”
While the Annual Fund has been maintained in recent years, it has had
no room to grow and must be pushed to new levels. Jill has the knowledge
and creative energy to take the lead.
“Annual giving,” Jill offers, “is important to any institution,
but it is especially important at Antioch because tuition doesn’t
cover the full cost of an Antioch education. The Annual Fund raises current
operating dollars and keeps the College running. It keeps the doors open.
The more money we raise the more opportunities we have to improve the
campus and to provide new experiences for students.”
Jill’s vision for the Annual Fund is far more inclusive than it
has been in the recent past. Jill hopes to open it up to people who have
not been contacted or included, such as parents of current students, current
students, faculty, staff, and recent graduates. According to Jill, everyone
should be involved: “It doesn’t matter how much people are
giving; it just matters that people are involved. It’s so important
to get into the habit of giving. You may be able to give $25 a year now
but in 10 years that might increase to $2,500.” Those little dollars
and the consistent involvement of alumni and friends of the College add
up to something big. Jill wants to reach out to young alumni in particular:
“Stay in for that one night out of the year! Don’t go to that
movie or order the pizza. Instead, make a contribution to Antioch College.”
Jill recognizes her biggest challenge is engaging people: “You can’t
just go up to someone and say, ‘Hi, how are you? We haven’t
talked to you in 10 years. How about 100 bucks?” Asking for money
is, of course, the ultimate goal, but for the donor, it should be an enjoyable
experience, one that the donor is going to want to repeat: “This
should be a lifetime relationship with Antioch. From the time you think
about applying to Antioch until the end of your life. We want to get you
involved and keep you involved. It’s a lifelong journey that we
want to experience with our donors.”
Jill’s main goal is to educate and involve a more diverse group
of alumni and friends. In doing so, she will play an integral role in
meeting the College’s financial needs, but perhaps more importantly,
Jill will give alumni a chance to
get reacquainted with the College.
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