fundraising
Podcast: Ed Lang of Buffalo UK
Ed Lang is passionate about education. That’s why, after being a successful student fundraiser at his school in the UK and then attending Bristol University, he founded Buffalo Consulting to help higher education institutions and other organizations raise money.
In this Fundraising Voices podcast, Ed talks about what he’s learned from his years working to help educational organizations, what’s changing across the pond, and how US institutions can utilize a UK provider to reach out to their alumni living abroad.
On tap are a discussion of direct debit and recurring giving and how they change the UK donor equation, as well as how the solicitation and cultivation cycle has shifted. For phone, this means pre-call mailings, longer calls, and a lot more stewardship.
We also talk about some of the language differences, and how a US institution can navigate those with international alumni. Ed surprised me there: he recommends not trying to blend in with local lingo. It’s important for alumni who came from abroad to study in the US to remember the authentic American experience that they had. Outside of tailoring the case for support to match the cultural values that might differ, you don’t have to change who you are– just make the effort to reach out. Alumni are waiting to reconnect.
We mention the Ross-CASE Charitable Giving to Universities, and there has been a real increase in giving in the UK to higher education over the past few decades. Check out the study, and get in touch with us if you want to talk more about your international fundraising.
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