posted on November 05, 2012 11:45
Book by J. Hodson & Bruce Speck
Review by
Jennifer Dawn Jones
Undergraduate Advising Services Center
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
Why is fundraising important for advisors? What can advisors glean from a book comprised of nine chapters, each written by a different author discussing challenges, benefits, and recommendations of fundraising? Advisors, whether faculty members, professional advisors, or administrators, may benefit from staying current with this current budgeting phenomena within higher education.
As advisors become more familiar with the expectations and requirements placed on administrators they can use information provided in this book to their advantage. Hodgson stresses the importance of knowing institutional vision and goals (p.40). Advising professionals can take knowledge from this book and align it with their advising goals to increase likelihood of buy-in for budget proposals. Innovative ideas have a greater chance of garnering approval when they coincide with institutional goals and have a chance for innovative funding.
Fundraising knowledge may be an added asset for advisors worried about job security. New funding can make it possible for advisors to evaluate current programs and brainstorm ideas to for innovation. In the current economy, creative outside funding strategies can help programs improve services and stay viable in times fraught with the fear of loss of funding or elimination of entire departments. Information included in this book can prepare advisors to present their ideas in a way that is more likely to gain support. Advisors who feel the push to stay on the cutting edge of changes in academia will find that material included in this book can help them demonstrate their value and plead their cause most effectively.
Most likely due to nine different contributing authors, there is some repetition among the chapters. Some chapters are an easier and more enjoyable read than others. However, each chapter highlights interesting information and provides multiple perspectives. Even if the information does not completely pertain to the primary job of advisors, the information here offers a good background for advisors who work with top administrators, are concerned with advising center budgets, seek to meet department or individual advisor’s needs, or who work with outside constituents.
Perpectives on fund raising (New directions for higher education #149). (2010). Book by J. Hodson & Bruce Speck (Eds.). Review by Jennifer Dawn Jones. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 95 pp. $29.00, ISBN #
978-0-470-63571-1