2015 Road Cone Results

Road Cones are the faces of the rebuild in Christchurch – ubiquitous beacons of order in what has been a chaotic Christchurch World. At the NZ Chapter Conference in Christchurch in August delegates were asked to submit handy ideas, suggestions and tips that they had picked up at the conference – collectively known as road cones and here is a selection of them below.

Road cone ideas, suggestions, handy tips.

·       If it wasn’t really hard, everyone could do it      

·       Go to donor meetings with your ears open and your mouth shut.            

·       New revenue generation should be a key strategy and priority at the ‘top table’.

·       Use your resources and time wisely. Plant your seeds in the most fertile ground.

·       This is one to question and debate in the institution: The major donor should be the LAST port of call in a project funding strategy, not the first.

·       Run campaigns like telephone campaigns ‘in house’ for better results

·       Don’t let down the donor

·       Be the strongest advocate for fundraisers – it’s our job to get people in our business on board.

·       The student on a scholarship who endorsed us all and the work we do – right at the beginning made me feel valued and connected. An inspired idea to do this for us and a reminder for us to do this for our team, our institution and our donors.

·       Fundraisers – let’s change the language. We generate revenue.

·       New language – out with ‘fundraising’ in with ‘revenue generation’. Fundraising has connotations of chocolate bars and sausage sizzles!!

·       ‘Big ears, small mouth!! Listen to your market / donors.

·       Making sure people understand the ‘language’ of advancement and what exactly they’re signing up to and expectations of their involvement – do not assume they understand the words. Eg. ‘Campaign’ is a great example. It means something quite different to non-advancement folk.

·       Get a Chair for each of the ‘projects’ within the campaign, and link them with volunteers.

·       The excellent analogy of the car salesman and linking it to funding.

·       Change terminology from fundraising to revenue generation

·       Brand: you are not all things to all people

·       This was a realisation. Philanthropy + assumptions = ‘Entropy’.

·       Delegation strategy of Peter Blake

1.     I know you can do it

2.     You will stuff up

3.     When you do, come to me first and we will sort it out together

·       Important to do liaison along with alumni events. So potential students can meet alumni and hear from them about the uni and courses

·       Plan against ‘single point of failure’.

Naomi Wilde, St Andrews College