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Assessing the impact of chief development officers’ leadership style on gift officers’ fundraising performance at US private higher education institutions
Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing,
5
(1),
73-91
(2020)
Abstract
This paper seeks to provide an explanation for variations in gift officer (GO) performance at American private institutions of higher education and serve as a guide to hiring and coaching of GOs and the chief development officers to whom they report. First, there was no significant difference among GOs, as categorised by performance, regarding which in-role performance theory they credited most with their accomplishments in the last fiscal year. Further, high-performing GOs equally preferred four leadership styles that have been characterised as follower-focused. Statistical tests revealed that mid and low performers had no clear preference for a leadership style, demonstrating that the specific situation dictates which style they prefer. Finally, when comparing high performers to mid and low performers, leadership styles that are more supervisor-focused than follower-focused were ranked more highly by mid and low performers, which suggests that these particular leadership styles are not embraced by GOs who perform at a higher level.
Keywords: leadership; performance; fundraisers; gift officers; research study
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Carrie Collins is the Chief Advancement Officer at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), where she is responsible for fundraising, alumni engagement and helping to advance the college’s strategic plan PCOM2020: A Shared Vision. Under her leadership, the college has seen double-digit growth in total commitments to the institution in three of the last four years. Prior to her tenure at PCOM, Carrie was the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at the University of the Sciences, where she oversaw fundraising, alumni relations, marketing and communications and university events to advance the university’s mission. Before moving to Philadelphia, Carrie was the Executive Director, Gift Planning and Stewardship, at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before entering the world of advancement, Carrie was an attorney in private practice, with experience in estate and corporate matters. Carrie is on the editorial board of the Journal of Education Advancement and Marketing and a member of the CASE District II Chief Advancement Officers Forum. She sits on the Board of Visitors at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Carrie graduated with a BA from the University of Pittsburgh, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa; secured a JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law; an MA in Leadership and Liberal Studies from Duquesne University; and a PhD in Leadership from University of the Cumberlands.
