Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/535050
30 BizEd JULY | AUGUST 2015 he says. In these particular cases, both donors are alumni, have a long history of involvement with the school, and wished to acknowl- edge important men in their lives: Idan Ofer donated the money in the name of his father, while Kwan honored one of his former teachers. Creating a community through a dedicated campaign website. The school's comprehensive website not only shows donors the monthly prog- ress of the campaign, but also gives them clear and powerful reasons they should make their own contributions by detailing how the money will be used. For instance, the site explains why the school wants additional money to fund faculty salaries. "There are 2,000 professors globally who are capable of meeting our stringent criteria. However, there are 10,000 jobs available to them," it reads. "We need £28 million to attract and retain the most talented and inspiring business teaching and research minds to our faculty." Another page on the website allows individuals to post short messages about why they've chosen to give. A news page keeps donors updated on the campaign's progress, and a "Do- nate today" tab makes it simple for anyone to participate. As of March, the site has logged more than 100,000 page views from about 25,000 unique visitors. Generating excitement through class giving. While class giving has been in place at LBS for years, the £100 mil- lion campaign seems to have energized students and alumni. For instance, last year as part of its reunion celebration, the MBA class of 2004 raised £126,522 for the cause. "The campaign has helped focus class giving because people can see what their money will fund," says Likierman. "For example, a social space on campus was made possible by the 2007 class gift. Re- cent class gifts have gone toward our new building and a named lecture hall." Likierman predicts that other Eu- ropean schools also will begin to supplement their operating budgets with capital campaigns, especially as state funding diminishes and the pressure to compete increases. "My as- sumption is that other leading European business schools all wish to improve the quality of what they do, and fundraising is the logical way to do it," he says. But such a strategy must be approached with a great deal of forethought and preparation, he cautions. "You have to be very serious about it. We took time, trouble, and care to gear up and make sure we had the resources, information, and IT available, as well as the right people involved." For more details, see www.london.edu/thecampaign. Corporate Connections How can a school work with local cor- porations to create initiatives that don't just involve fi- nancial support, but also o£er meaningful opportunities for fac- ulty to conduct research and for students to gain experience? At Singapore Management University, it's all about building relationships. "I don't start from the perspective of generating massive endowments," says Gerard George, dean of SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business. "I start by asking, 'What resources can the com- munity provide that will then allow me to better serve the community? How can the university and the community deploy resources, o£er more opportuni- ties, and engage better?' The money is a component, but what's more important is that the student has the experience of engaging with the company." Thus, whenever he approaches corporations to propose a relation- ship, he always considers how he can both create and receive value from the collaboration. He believes it's essential for the school to respond quickly to a company's challenges. "It's very easy for universities to say to corporations, 'Let's do a project together!'" he notes. "But universities move slowly, so the project might not be addressed for six months, and by that time the problem is no longer important or it's already been solved. So I organize the school so that our faculty can plug and play very easily." In return, he also strives to have many £ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 £ ,