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The athletic department and the institutional development office: A systems approach to athletic fund-raising
Abstract
This research combines systems and critical theory to analyze the relationship of the athletic department and the institutional development office. The purpose of the study was to propose a model of coordinated athletic fund raising based upon a theoretical framework that explains athletic fund raising as an organizational function within the context of the interdependencies of a system. In the first phase of the research, a theory-based model of coordinated athletic fund raising is set forth. Several key characteristics of a coordinated approach are identified. In the second phase, results of telephone interviews with athletic fund raisers at Division I institutions are reported. Basic descriptive statistics and qualitative data analysis techniques are used to present a full and rich picture of how athletic fund raisers assess the relationship between the two offices. In the third phase of the research, a comparison is made between empirical findings and the model. Relationships between development offices and athletic departments vary greatly in nature and in scope. The majority of athletic fund raisers report that the relationship between the athletic department and development office is strained. Poor relationships may be deleterious to the athletic fund raising effort. A comparison of reported existing relationships to the model suggests that few existing relationships approach the level of coordination presented in the model. The theory-based model is determined to be useful in providing insights into the complex forces that affect athletic fund raising. Recommendations for moving relationships closer to the model focus on strategies that athletic fund raisers can employ to improve the relationship. Recommendations to athletic fund raisers include finding ways to produce and market critical fund raising resources to the development office; emphasizing negotiation as a strategy to improve exchanges; and working to establish better feedback mechanisms and more open lines of communication with the institutional development office.
Subject Area
Management|Higher education|School administration|School finance
Recommended Citation
Walker, Sharianne, "The athletic department and the institutional development office: A systems approach to athletic fund-raising" (1994). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9434546.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9434546