through nonprofit eyes: Be Our Guest: Rebecca McPhail-Samples

Rebecca McPhail-Samples is the latest to share her insight with the More Donors Blog. Rebecca is Assistant Vice President for Development at Marshall University, where she has worked for the last five years. Prior to joining Marshall, Rebecca spent time fundraising for other entities in the social-service and higher education sectors.

Now, Rebecca takes a minute to give us her take on the questionnaire...

1 - What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?
Determining the best way to target our solicitation efforts – making the best use of our resources in developing long term plans that integrate communication, education and cultivation that lead to closing major gifts.

2 - What are you doing to overcome these challenges?
We are working internally with our prospect research team to integrate predictive modeling into our overall strategies and exploring the use of external partners in developing our capabilities to analyze our data more effectively.

3 - What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?
Integrating electronic communication and solicitation into our overall marketing strategy. Engaging people through social-media, developing tech based giving programs and seeing a dramatic increase in gifts made online.

4 - Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?
Social-media is about engaging our audience - keeping them up-to-date, interested and on the inside of what is happening at the Foundation and Development Center as well as the university at-large. It is best applied as a means to create a cyber-family of sorts and is a great way to show the softer side of fundraising operations…behind the scenes.

5 - What book would you suggest fundraisers read?
The Noticer – by Andy Andrews: This is not the typical sales/discovery book aimed at fundraising, but instead is about the importance of paying attention and building good relationships.

6 - What question would you find most useful for readers to answer?
What are some effective ways to develop student giving programs that can help drive the educational process that turns them into faithful alumni donors?

Use the comment section below to share your thoughts on Rebecca's question... I'll share my thoughts next week... Thank you Rebecca!