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May 2001, Volume 69, Number 3 |
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Spreadsheet One |
Spreadsheet
Two *Selling Solutions *Repotting School Managers *Students Initiate HR Course *Bye-Bye, Bonus *Stuff Is Still Cool |
Spreadsheet Three *Birth of Financial Aid *Fast-Change Artists Garner Baldridge Award *A Positive Spin on the Dot-com Shakeout |
| People:
Penny Dash, MBA '94 People: Rob Durkee, MBA '78 |
People:
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Photograph by Chi Chi Ubiña |
When nonprofit chief Rob Durkee, MBA ’78, passes the hat around for funds, he makes sure there’s something tangible in it for the donors as well. The head of the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) doesn’t like appealing solely to companies’ sense of altruism. Instead, he cobbles together arrangements with media partners so that sponsors get publicity in return for their philanthropy. It’s part of a strategy that has made his organization one of the most efficient fundraisers in the country. “Most organizations of my size will ask for support but then basically hope that it’s readily apparent to the sponsor or the donor what the benefits would be,” he notes.
Founded in 1953, CRI funds basic and clinical research and acts as a source of public information on immunology and cancer treatment. Durkee, who lives in Tarrytown, N.Y., with his wife and 5-year-old daughter, joined the cause eight years ago. Since then, the institute’s operating budget has quadrupled, to about $18 million this year. But, more than its size, it is the organization’s efficiency that has impressed sponsors and the financial press. In a December 1999 Forbes study of 100 prominent charities in the country, CRI was highlighted as one of the most fiscally effective. Durkee notes: “We spend only 3 cents on the dollar to raise money, which is a very, very favorable ratio.”
The secret is a proactive approach when dealing with a potential sponsor. “I’m really just putting myself in the shoes of the marketing vice president for that company.” As former director of Olympic marketing for Time, Inc., Durkee says his background in sports media and marketing helps. For a case study of his approach, look at how he secured Schering-Plough’s sponsorship of a melanoma program. Knowing that the pharmaceutical giant was about to introduce a new product, he first negotiated a three-year commitment from People magazine to provide media support and also got another not-for-profit, Cancer Care, involved. “So by the time we went to Schering-Plough, we’d already packaged a program that included research, public education, and patient care.” He says of this approach: “It’s a much richer conversation that goes on. And it’s fun; this is what makes me smile when it comes to work.”
—CHERIAN GEORGE
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