The Advancement MarComm Shift: Support Function to Strategic Partner 🔑
At the CASE District II annual conference in NYC earlier this week, I posed a question to a room full of advancement marketing and communications professionals and their colleagues:
"If you had 30 seconds to explain your team’s role to your president, what would you say?"
The hesitation was telling.
Too often, Advancement MarComm teams (inclusive of Development Comms) are essential but invisible—supporting fundraising campaigns, crafting alumni and donor emails, and producing other types of content.
Seldom shaping strategy.
And let's be honest...it doesn't help that they're also often seen by Central MarComm peers as the little cousins they'd prefer not bother them.
The best higher education MarComm teams I’ve worked with over my career don’t just execute; they influence, craft the agenda, and drive results.
The days of Advancement MarComm being mainly a service provider must end.
Because our work isn’t just about communications—it’s revenue, reputation, and engagement.
And in today’s environment, which will only become more challenging, most institutions can’t afford for their Advancement MarComm teams not to be elevating their impact.
The challenge? Many remain stuck in reactive cycles that limit their ability to lead.
Here’s how to start making the shift from a reactive to more strategic partner.
Reactive vs. Proactive Teams
✅ Reactive teams focus on fulfilling requests and responding to last-minute needs, making it challenging to predict and plan effectively.
✅ Proactive teams align their work with revenue goals and institutional priorities.
Reactive teams often find themselves overwhelmed, feeling like they are playing a never-ending game of catch-up. Their work is valuable, but without a strategic framework, it remains largely transactional.
Proactive teams establish themselves as trusted advisors. They don't just wait for assignments. They collaborate on how to best engage donors, retain alumni, and position philanthropy as an institutional priority. They leverage data, anticipate challenges, and bring solutions to leadership before problems arise.
The difference? Strategic influence. Here’s how you can start driving it.
3 Moves You Can Make Today
1️⃣ Tie Your Work to ROI (or be left out of leadership conversations)
Advancement MarComm teams frequently measure success by outputs—emails sent, proposals drafted, projects executed. But leadership cares about outcomes. Dollars raised. Donors retained. Engagement increased.
Leadership isn’t looking for a list of emails sent or social posts published. They want to know: How is your work driving revenue?
If you want a seat at the table, stop reporting on what you’re doing—start reporting on the impact it’s having.
2️⃣ Lead with Strategy, Not Just Execution
Most teams are stuck in a service-provider mindset: "What do you need?"
The shift to a strategic partner starts when you stop waiting for requests and start shaping priorities.
Bring data-driven insights to leadership. Show how an investment in a new or evolved approach can drive higher donor retention, stronger alumni affinity, and increased engagement.
💡 Example: If donor retention is a problem at your institution (it usually is), propose an engagement-based stewardship campaign that targets past donors with personalized content before they lapse. Present it as a revenue-driving initiative, not just a communications effort.
3️⃣ Build a Stronger Partnership with Gift Officers
Fundraisers and MarComm teams are often misaligned—working in parallel rather than in partnership. That’s a problem. And it's not what either actually wants.
Gift officers need strategic messaging, tailored proposals, and timely follow-ups. The right Advancement MarComm team members should be part of those conversations from the start.
By cultivating these relationships with great intention, my former team and I were able to help contribute millions of additional gift revenue through crafting more strategic concept papers, proposals, one-sheeters, vision decks for deans, and other material that set up our frontline colleagues to have more impactful conversations with greater success.
Here’s how to start:
- Sit in on frontline team planning meetings to collect insight and plan for needs before they become last-minute requests.
- Build messaging toolkits that include plug-and-play donor email templates, storytelling prompts, and impact reporting examples.
- Develop individualized stewardship plans for every VIP donor, ensuring sustained strategic engagement.
The result? More effective fundraising conversations and stronger donor commitment.
Final Thought: The Opportunity Is Yours
Advancement MarComm isn’t just about storytelling—it’s about strategy and influence. And change starts with YOU.
Don't wait to be given a seat at the table. Pull up your own chair.
Taking ownership of a bigger vision shifts your team from being reactive to driving valuable change.
🔹 If your team is stuck in execution mode, start small. Pick one initiative to tie directly to revenue or engagement outcomes. Execute effectively. Scale that if possible. And leverage this momentum internally to tackle an even more impactful opportunity.
🔹 If you’re ready to move from reactive to proactive, push for that seat at the leadership table—armed with data, insights, and a clear strategy.
📩 Want the full breakdown? Just shoot me a reply back and I’ll send you the entire slide deck from my CASE presentation.
See you next Thursday!
Dan
P.S. Mark your calendar. 🗓️ Episode 1 of my upcoming 5-part podcast series Advancement Amplified: AI for IA drops February 27. I’ll be joined by two innovative senior Advancement leaders, Matthew Lambert (William & Mary) and Dan Frezza (College of Charleston) to discuss the state of AI in Advancement today. 🎙️ 👥 💡
