Campaign Update 2004 : scott nichols

A Conversation with Dr. Scott Nichols

Scott Nichols has had a unique perspective on The American Ireland Fund’s Hope & History Campaign. An educator, fundraising professional, and principal architect of several groundbreaking capital campaigns – including the Harvard Law School’s last two campaigns – Nichols not only helped shape the AIF’s campaign in its early days, but continues to work with the organization’s leaders as it enters its next phase of development.

Nichols, a graduate of Bucknell University, earned his masters and doctorate in educational administration at Penn. The co-author of five books, he serves on the boards of Bucknell and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and is Dean for Development, Communications, and Alumni Relations at the Harvard Law School. Connect talked with Nichols in early May.

How and when did you first come into contact with
The American Ireland Fund?

I’m guessing that it was early 1998, when -- at the end of a speech I had given on the new realities of fundraising -- an interesting character named Kingsley Aikins came up and introduced himself. He told me that he was the executive director of something called the “American Ireland Fund,” and invited me to go to Ireland to speak with the AIF board at an upcoming session.

So I did. I did a little homework, and the theme of my conversations with them was that it appeared to me that The Ireland Funds had built a great base, but that it was time for them to move forward, in a fundraising sense. Simply put, they had to move away from events, and “retail” fundraising, and move into major giving. I told them that this was an age of great wealth, and increased emphasis on philanthropy. In the future, dinners and golf tournaments, while important, simply wouldn’t get them where they wanted to go.

Of course, The American Ireland Fund was already moving in that direction. At that meeting, in fact, board chair [Sir] Tony O’Reilly made his $5 million commitment, which kicked off the campaign. So at least some board members were already inclined to think along these lines. I just helped them in that direction.

How important was the role of the board?

The board’s leadership was absolutely critical – as it always is in situations like this. The Ireland Funds had to retool themselves, and even reinvent themselves, after a very successful 20 years. Sometimes it’s hardest for a successful organization to rise to this challenge.

On the other hand, this wasn’t just a good idea looking for support. They had a very strong base to deal with. Once they decided to take the plunge, they had all the tools they needed.

What specifically did the board do to make the campaign’s success possible?

Well, simply put, it recommitted itself, and reorganized itself, which is very hard to do, and takes a lot of courage. So the leaders of the board -- Tony O’Reilly, and then Loretta Brennan Glucksman – first had to be brave. And they were. That was key.

They also made other structural changes. For example, they broadened Kingsley’s role and mandate, and that was also key. Gradually, through a lot of hard work, things fell into place.

Was $100 million a daunting goal? Or put more positively, did you have confidence that the campaign would succeed?

Yes, I was confident. But probably not for the same reasons most people would be. I saw three forces converging. The first was the history of Ireland, Irish Americans, and the Irish people. They have an outstanding charitable ethos, which dates back centuries, and takes many forms. The second was the extraordinary explosion of wealth in Ireland itself -- the “Celtic Tiger.” And the third was a great cause, with a proven delivery vehicle; visionaries at board and staff levels, a visionary leader in Kingsley.

There are lots of great causes out there. So what differentiates one organization from another, if they’re all worth supporting? The answer is leadership. That’s where the partnership between the board and Kingsley came in. That made the ridiculously ambitious $100 million goal something that people could commit themselves to. One more thing, too: an extraordinary staff. In my role, I’m not obliged to say that. But in this case, it’s absolutely true. That staff is outstanding.

Wasn’t there some concern that the “Celtic Tiger” phenomenon would undercut the campaign?

Not as I saw it. Philanthropy takes place in a global context, today. All over the world, there are good people who want to do good. There are 70 million people of Irish descent spread around the world, and concerns in Ireland are naturally part of their philanthropic interests.

But at the same time, it’s hard to persuade people outside Ireland to support their ancestral homeland if the people inside won’t do so. The tide of new Irish wealth – which we should remind ourselves is still limited to a relatively small, but growing percentage of the population – started to make new things possible.

What was your role in the campaign?

I was a campaign consultant, which of course differs greatly from campaign to campaign. In this case, it was apparent to me that the organization really didn’t appreciate its potential. So having seen how many good ingredients were already in place, my job was to encourage them forward. I tried to get them to be more ambitious, rather than less. And, of course, I helped out with some of the mechanics.

Much of your professional work has taken place in academic settings. Was Hope & History very different from campaigns in those settings?

Not really. It was more similar than dissimilar. The key issues – cause, leadership, staff, depth – tend to be common across campaigns.

How do you see The Ireland Funds moving forward?

A good question, and the right one to be asking at this point. This campaign was a great success from a financial standpoint. But like all great campaigns, its non-monetary implications are far more important than the monetary ones.

As I said, the AIF has retooled itself. It has raised the bar – not just for itself, but for others. And this is critically important, in part because the AIF is an organization that is watched by many others. It’s not too much to say that it has become a leader in the non-profit sector, especially in Europe. If you look at the number of seminars and workshops they sponsor on behalf of the non-profit sector, it’s really quite amazing.

Up one level, I think they’ve really emboldened and enhanced the ambitions of the entire non-profit sector. Simply put, if the AIF can make that much progress, and think that big, perhaps other organizations should try to stretch themselves, as well. In a very real sense, they’ve said, “Dare to be great – because it could happen. And by the way: doesn’t your mission really warrant trying to do the best you can, in terms of gathering resources and putting them to work for your good cause?”

And finally, I think they’ve also started an important dialogue about how important the non-profit sector is in the bigger picture. If you look at what’s happened in Ireland, they’ve really succeeded in getting the government, the private sector, and the non-profit sector all talking to one another, all toward the end of building a better Ireland.

So it’s not uniquely an “Irish” success?

No, I think it’s already more than that. At the same time, Ireland was a unique laboratory for this experiment. As I got to know Ireland, I was surprised by two somewhat contradictory things. First, it’s an intimate place, and the people in these three branches of society all know each other, through their leaders. And yet, at the same time, the conversations among them haven’t been extensive, or frequent.

The AIF has helped bring those groups together on a regular basis. I know the organization has even greater ambitions: to keep that dialogue vigorous, and keep the relations close. So pulling leaders together is absolutely vital in advancing not only the non-profit sector, but also the country.

We all know that there are limits on what government can do, in the face of an ever-expanding social agenda. The AIF has already taken a leadership role – if not the leadership role – in bringing together the parties who care, and who have the tools to deal with the problems, challenges, and opportunities of society.

So I have great hopes for, and expectations of,
The Ireland Funds.