Finding Money and Raising Funds 75 than apparent “hobnobbing with friends” and “going to parties.” To preserve your sanity and make progress on fundraising, you need a good development officer who will work with you to most effectively utilize your strengths and your valuable time. Do you have a Communications Strategy that Brings your College into the Lives of Alumni and Other Supporters on a Regular Basis? An alumni relations office that communicates regularly with graduates, maintains accurate addresses, and provides opportunities for alumni to return to campus for special events is a key part of the infrastruc- ture that needs to be in place to support your efforts. Scheduled, mean- ingful contact with your graduates (and other institutional friends) is fundamental. Absent the required infrastructure, some first steps might include consulting with departments that have contact with some of their former students. Some may put out newsletters or routinely update department websites with news of graduates. Theatre and Music Departments normally have events to which the public is invited, and so will have valid address lists. Biology or Chemistry departments like to keep track of their pre-med or pre-dental graduates who have gone on to graduate or professional school. And individual faculty members often stay in contact with former students for years and decades after their graduation. These departments and individuals are sources of informa- tion that can help you build a base of friends and donors for your college, particularly if centralized resources are limited or non-existent. Many of these departments may themselves have raised modest funds over the years and their chairs may be willing to share with you the names of loyal supporters, especially if you can explain that you can assist in the fundraising process and potential gifts will not be diverted to you. If you have a robust alumni relations operation on your campus, express an eagerness to work more closely with its staff. You likely will be greeted with enthusiasm, since these are not areas where deans have often been active. Work to draw in larger departments, and chairs or faculty, who are good spokespersons. Use alumni relations staff to devise events that can showcase your college, improve communications with alumni, and routinely update them. A robust alumni relations operation