Summer 2003

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How firm a foundation UMass Amherst

– Faye S. Wolfe

Bezanson Hall renovation: Says Lombardi, it was a chance “to be a hero.” (photo by Ben Barnhart) JOHN LOMBARDI BELIEVES THAT UMASS Amherst presents “an irresistible investment opportunity.” Now those who feel the same as the chancellor can put their money where their hearts are via the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation. On the heels of his inauguration, Lombardi initiated the creation of the private nonprofit corporation, a fundraising vehicle dedicated exclusively to the Amherst campus, which aims to muster and expand alumni support and build on the earlier success of Campaign UMass. And, as the chancellor sees it, the foundation offers “an identity and a place for donors.” Its volunteer board of directors, as well as ex-officio members, will provide, in Lombardi’s words, “direction, guidance, inspiration and wisdom.” The foundation will also draw upon the investment expertise of the University of Massachusetts Foundation, which manages funds given to the state university system as a whole, as well as the services of UMass Amherst staff and resources. As its executive director, Elizabeth Dale, vice chancellor for university advancement, will oversee the foundation’s operations. In an interview with UMass Magazine, Lombardi noted that another benefit of the foundation will be its ability to ensure, when people give to UMass Amherst, “a seamless process from deposit of the gift to its acknowledgment.” He emphasized the importance of stewardship, which keeps donors informed of just how, and how well, their gifts are being applied. Of course, first the gifts must be gotten. Fortunately for UMass Amherst, Lombardi is an old hand at fundraising for higher education. In what seems to be his own seamless style of explication, he articulates the how-to of a fundraising campaign step by step, so comprehensively and persuasively that one can almost see the buildings going up and the students depositing their scholarship checks. The new foundation will serve as, well, a foundation on which to build just such a campaign, scheduled to begin in 2004. According to Lombardi, UMass Amherst is about a “generation” behind in its fundraising work; most major public research universities have already set up foundations, for instance. The good news, he points out, is that because “the path’s laid out, we can move much faster.” Given the bad news in the papers every day about the state’s finances, speed would seem imperative. Yet Lombardi doesn’t believe that hard times really affect the university’s chances of eliciting financial support from the private sector. “From the donor’s point of view, what matters is the success of the enterprise,” he says – and he shows no lack of conviction about UMass Amherst’s track record or its potential. Among UMass Amherst’s greatest strengths, the chancellor says, are “its national recognition and its substance: It’s easy to make the case.” He becomes especially animated when he talks about alums: “They have success stories they’re eager to tell and happy to share. Those stories strike a familiar chord with many others.… Our constituency is extremely positive. If we hear any complaints, it’s that we don’t tell enough other people what they know. You don’t have to persuade the alums it’s good – they’re already convinced.” Not that Lombardi discounts the fact that fundraising is, in his own words, “hard work.” He says with a smile, “Some people think it’s going to a party and schmoozing, but it requires the same attention to professionalism, efficiency and accountability as anything else you do.” He also acknowledges that there’s plenty of competition for money, and no shortage of worthy causes. Or, as he puts it: When you go to Boston, and you shout the name of UMass Amherst, there’s a lot of other “noise.” So although “getting the audience” is a challenge, once you do, says Lombardi, “You don’t have to pretend; you don’t have to make promises about the future.” To those who might ask: Why give to a place where the buildings are falling apart? Lombardi has a ready comeback, one that turns that argument neatly on its head: Where some see cracks in the plaster, he see opportunities for investment. In fact, he has arguments powerful enough to override most every objection. Why give private dollars to a public institution? Because the state only provides enough for “baseline performance.” Private dollars are needed “to be terrific.” (What’s more, the public institution is a better investment than a private one, because, with some costs covered by the state, return on every donated dollar is higher.) Why not give, say, to a certain prestigious university in Cambridge, Massachusetts? Because, says the chancellor, many gifts that would be just a drop in the bucket to a school with an “18-billion-dollar endowment,” will have far more impact at UMass Amherst. There’s a chance to make “a huge difference for a reasonable amount of money…you can be a true hero.” As an example of one such investment, he points to the recently transformed Bezanson Concert Hall. “When a donor makes a gift,” says Lombardi, “that person is often the happiest person in the room.…That person feels: Making this gift is the happiest, most fun, most meaningful, best thing I have ever done.” He goes on, “Some think that people give for tax purposes, for fame, but it’s the personal experience of commitment” that motivates many people. Having said earlier in the interview that fundraising is a “sweep of the universe,” an effort to approach and include first, everyone with a direct relationship to UMass Amherst, and then their friends and colleagues, Lombardi brings the story full circle when he concludes that the work is “highly personal” as well. Lombardi even likens it to teaching: It’s about “transforming” someone’s life, understanding each individual’s need and “what makes giving meaningful.”

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