Boosting that level of alumni giving may wellbe the key to success in a planned multi-billiondollar fundraising drive, administrators say.

The University's last capital campaign ended in1986 and raised more than $350 million. Butfundraisers now say Harvard is ready for anotherdrive--a bigger and better one.

Although officials have placed the campaigngoal at $2 billion, some key alumni advisors saythe number is closer to $3 billion.

And these alumni are the ones who should know,administrators say, because they're also the oneswho will be giving much of the money for a capitalcampaign.

Although Monrad says "you have to wait a decentinterval before you go back to these people [toask for money]," he says he expects aUniversity-wide campaign to "go into high gear byfall 1991."

But to raise $3 billion Harvard will need todepend on a solid network of alumni who arewilling to give large donations to the school. AndHarvard's development professionals and volunteershave developed an intricate structure for drawingthose alumni into the University's fundraisingmachine.

Bok Weekends

From elaborate reunion celebrations to specialweekends with President Derek C. Bok andappointments to visiting committees, Harvardtreats its wealthy alumni to a set of programsdesigned to "give them some kind of inside insightto what the place is like," as Spence says.

The Bok weekends are one example of what hasproved to be an extraordinarily successful--andpopular--fundraising tool.

Started during the 350th anniversary campaign,the weekends bring about "40 couples" toCambridge, where they are treated to meetings withtop Harvard faculty and administrators.

Edward B. Whitney '66, a Wall Street investmentbanker who was invited to last week's event, sayshe was courted with a reception, an address by thepresident, a faculty panel and tickets to thefootball game against Princeton.

"It was clearly a warm-up for the 25threunion," Whitney says. "It's supposed to leaveyou with a warm feeling in the pit of yourstomach." And, he says, "most people know that the25th is a special reunion--you're expected to givean especially large gift."

Although Whitney says he has not beenapproached for a major gift yet, he says he'sconfident "the call will come" because theweekends are "oriented toward potentiallysignificant givers."

And Monrad agrees, saying the Bok weekendsprimarily target those alumni who might give toHarvard in the future.

"If at a reunion we see you made $800,000 thatyear, we invite you back for a weekend," he says.And that's where Harvard makes its pitch: "Youcombine the right amount of nostalgia with theneeds of Harvard."