As funds dwindle and costs rise university advancement staff have been given higher fundraising goals to meet the needs. In addition, university advancement staff have received pressure to review and lower the costs of fundraising to become more efficient (Drezner, 2011). To enable university advancement staff to attain goals, advocate for resources, or enhance processes, university advancement staff are challenged to measure their effectiveness. However, the process of measuring university fundraising success is unclear as there are many variables to consider and several ways to determine success. For this study the Delphi Technique (Hsu & Sanford, 2007) was used with 3 rounds of questionnaires. Seventeen experts of fundraising analytics were asked to identify both quantifiable and nonquantifiable variables that should be included in a comprehensive model to determine success in university fundraising. Findings include quantifiable measures such as return on investment, growth in giving reports, new and recaptured donors, and fundraiser performance and activity metrics. In addition, findings include nonquantifiable measures such as institutional and environmental forces were identified by the participants as critical components to comprise in a comprehensive model. Further findings include a variety of other metrics, both quantifiable and nonquantifiable, that were identified by the participants as critical components to comprise in a comprehensive evaluation model.

Because philanthropic support from alumni and their families is an important source of revenue for American colleges and universities, identifying ways to connect with Chinese students and cultivate philanthropic support from their parents is an essential component of fundraising efforts. In this study, I explored how American university advancement officers could employ guanxi to cultivate relationships with Chinese parent donors in order to increase U.S. higher education philanthropy efforts. The concept of guanxi, an important aspect of building and sustaining relationships in China, served as the focus for understanding Chinese parents’ connections with their children’s American universities. I employed a qualitative collective case study design using purposeful criterion sampling and conducted research with seven participants. The research findings inform the practice of American university fundraising. The researcher generated specific strategies for American university development officers to build and cultivate guanxi with Chinese parents in order to receive more donations from them. Recommendations for further research are also provided.