Each philanthropic cause has its own special challenges. Here we talk to fundraising pros for a behind-the-scenes look at a variety of missions and organizations.

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

Goals are used to bridge the gap between the cost of educating a student and the amount of tuition being paid; but

goals must be reached with equal or fewer resources than the year before.

Then there’s shortage of staff. Fundraising staff tenures continue to shorten as the demand for experienced, educated professionals increases. The time, energy and expense of running one position search after the other takes its toll, especially on small fundraising shops [as many colleges and universities have]. Institutions are being forced to prioritize their need for fundraising staff to focus their efforts on filling the positions most needed while redefining current job descriptions to balance the workload of position vacancies.