by Christian Shuck

In my seven years experience working in Higher Ed development, I’ve been lucky enough to work in centralized offices. Prior to that, I worked for non-profits that were small, in-house operations or corporations that followed the same model across the organization. There is a great difference between working in an ecosystem where everything comes through a single hub, and a decentralized model where there may be competition and miscommunication. When I speak with gift officers interested in pre-exit philanthropy, those that work in decentralized systems often express concerns about the difficulty they anticipate. 

Their hesitation is understandable. Not only does it require buy-in from one executive director, but possibly a few others: deans, other gift officers, faculty, etc. Needless to say, it can be an overwhelming thought. Don’t worry! If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, it’s a good thing. That means you’re approaching the opportunity like a gift officer. You’re thinking about the steps you need to take to see it through. Go ahead and write that end goal on your wipe board in your office and leave it there. You’ll get to it sooner than you think.

—> See more in The 3 Things You Need to Launch a Successful Pre-Exit Program

After you take a breath, walk the process back through in your mind. You’re going to need to state your case, probably by writing a white paper. In that case statement, you’ll need to address where your PEP program is going to be housed. You don’t need to jump to the end, that’s why you wrote it down. Regardless of whether you’re in a centralized system or not, begin exactly where you are.

Think about your internal processes and structure. You’ll need to identify a few key people to help in these early stages, while your program evolves. Where the program lives depends, not so much on the physical “where” as the “with whom.” For example, it might make sense for your core team to consist of a gift officer, a representative from your alumni office and a more senior administrator. Those positions can exist within any school, on different scales.

While PEP is naturally tied to development officers, you might be an executive director of an alumni office. You, then, would be the “chief architect” and therefore, technically, the PEP program would be housed within your operation. You still need a gift officer involved, and whomever else you deem to be key players within your ecosystem. 

—> See which key players you might consider by reading from Their Alma Maters

I’ve been laughed at in conversation with those taking their first steps with a PEP program, because they don’t see how it’s possible to venture across department lines. That’s because we’re built to follow models involving traditional metrics. If we’re truly invested in creating meaningful relationships with entrepreneurs, all donors really, we have to consider what they want from us. It takes a team of people to cultivate a donor for a major gift. PEP isn’t any different. It doesn’t matter where it’s housed in the beginning, what counts is having the right people to set it in motion.

Eventually, your PEP program will evolve within your ecosystem. With luck, you will get to a point where you have to hire someone to manage it. Even then you’ll be asking where this person reports in line. Is it a stewardship role, or a gift officer’s role? That depends on your organization’s structure. If you’ve built your team appropriately, finding the right place for your program to live will be the easiest step you take. 

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Christian Shuck led the launch of the Sawmill Society at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and has presented on Pre-Exit Philanthropy.