Development officer Geoffrey H. Movius '62 describes the strategy as "arranging for one person to ask another" to support the Campaign. Harvard's role is to "set up the context" for these meetings to take place, he explains.
With scores of alumni having made time commitments similar to Cabot's. Harvard has a small army of fundraisers most of whom have donated large sums themselves--pushing the Campaign closer to $350 million. Although most belong to one of the Campaign's committees, they still take marching orders--names and itineraries--from Cambridge.
Cabot's contact in the development office is Rev. John W. Rick II, who supervises the face-to-face, large-gift fundraising of a number of alumni. "He's the jockey. I'm the horse. He has me jump and run around" is how Cabot characterizes his work with Rick.
Rick describes the role of Cabot and others as "reiterating the need" of the University in person. "Before he visits someone, he knows how much he can ask for." Rick continues, as Cabot and other fundraisers are supplied by Cambridge with the evaluation data on each prospect.
"It's much more effective if an alumnus is asking another alumnus for what may seem to be a staggering commitment," adds Glimp.
By personalizing the Campaign in this way. Harvard has lent a sense of urgency and intensity to the drive. Face-to-face contacts have proved especially fruitful, says Glimp, adding. "It's amazing how many alumni were genuinely pleased someone had gotten in touch with them."
Officials believe these tactics have emphasized Harvard's needs so strongly that many alumni have reached deeply into their pockets for "stretch gifts" that far exceed their past trend of giving to Harvard. According to Glimp, the average donor to the Campaign has pledged 110 times the level of his normal annual gift in the past.
"What you're always having to do is make a strong case of why you need the money," Glimp says. Harvard's approach of involving as many important alumni in the process as possible has yielded truly impressive results, which Glimp characterizes as "the alumnus's answer to President Bok...that 'I'm grateful you're working as hard as you are to keep my college strong.'"