Recommendation # 1:

Now is the Time to Move Forward:

The overwhelming majority of respondents expressed the opinion that now is the time for ASOR to make the required moves to strengthen and ensure its future. Typical comments from most of the interviewees came at the subject from differing perspectives but were uniform in their desire to see ASOR go forward.

·   “Especially now…while we still have our old guard and luminaries to pass on the heritage… the torch goes to younger people…for their vision of the future.”
·   “ASOR is a venerable service organization…now must be the time for visionary ideas, unifying directions, and a next generation of leaders and scholarship.”
·   “With the Annual Meeting and Publications set up…we are lined up for a move…now is a good time…”
·   “ASOR and our scholarship need to be recognized globally in our field and beyond.”
·    “We need to get over the idea that we are here to survive.”
·   “We have many good programs in ASOR…and new ideas…now they need sustaining capacity.”
·   “Now is the time because there are enough people who recognize ASOR’s lack of direction and are willing to do something about it.”
·   “People are giving money to other causes every day.”
·   “New century, new realities in the world, new ASOR President…it is time for ASOR to establish new or continuing goals.”
·   “What else… archaeology does in these dangerous times will be crucial for the future of our work… especially for us who keep going out to Digs.”
·   “A Baseball slugger will not be successful unless he envisions the center field wall.”
·   “Three years from now Near Eastern Archaeology will have still fewer jobs on campus…we can’t take this sitting down.”
·   “If not now…when…we cannot stay in one place…who can?”

Recommendation # 2:

ASOR Should Raise and Apply “First Money” to Strengthen its Professional Staff.

The membership wants as well as needs a more professional and effective headquarters and Publications Staff that has state of the art non-profit organizational know how in business procedures, fundraising, service delivery and communications.

·   In order to accomplish this important imperative ASOR will need to hire an accomplished non-profit professional manager/executive to continue to service scholars and move research forward. This Executive, in a partnership with member leaders, will open new ground to deliver the kind of decision making process, communications and governance necessary in a multi-constituent membership group looking for inclusion, participation and collaborations with each other.
·   There are two ways this can be approached:

ASOR can hire one top flight Executive Director/ Development Director from the non-profit or academic world with a record of accomplishment in raising money, as well as running a complex non-profit organization. This high-level fundraising experience should have been acquired from within a major university development staff.

·   There are many important fundraising fields all requiring excellence, but ASOR will not be as well served with someone with a track record in environmental issues, healthcare or some other important non-profit field…unrelated to Higher Education.
·   This individual must be comfortable with the relationships of faculty, departments and the philanthropy and has participated in setting up, doing, closing…and maintaining 5 – 7 figure financial contributions to higher education.
·   This Executive Director/Development Director will have ideas of his/her own…but must review this interactive survey and previous studies, strategic and campaign plans…especially the results of the Atlanta Meeting and the suggested Centennial Fundraising Plan…and be able to implement the recommendations of the membership and the Board of Trustees.  

OR: ASOR can hire both an Executive Director who is a scholar leader from within the field with direction from the Board to implement the programmatic recommendations of the Study, and a strong high-performance Development Director from Higher Education, with the required professional background as indicated above.

Observations on the above recommendations:

Because of the limited experience and time constraints of the Board members, the hiring of a Development Director should be approached through the use of a professional recruiter with major experience hiring in the non-profit and academic world.

·   Someone capable of doing this near start-up fundraising campaign job will likely cost more dollars than the Executive Director.
·   This individual would see building ASOR’S fundraising ability and taking the enterprise “to the next level” as a career move.
·   Stable but under-funded organizations looking to move up like ASOR, make that work…however awkward.
·   One way of finding this kind of development person might be to identify several larger colleges and or universities with very outstanding Development Departments and network to their Development Director...and ask them for help in identifying some appropriate candidates. More often then not…for such a complimentary scholarly related cause, Development people will be helpful about ASOR’S needs. In addition, they can either introduce an effective colleague who fits this description, or would know who ASOR could talk to about someone for a special fit. 
·   Likely salary ranges…Executive Director- $75,000 to $100,000…Development Director-$125,000 to $150,000.
·   The scholar Executive Director, in addition to many other important responsibilities will be a partner and learn at the side of the fundraiser/ campaigner until down the road…the development person moves onward and upward…and ASOR may hire a more long haul perhaps less expensive development person.

Required funding for these options:

Together with existing dollars in the budget for an Executive Director, ASOR will probably need to raise an additional $300,000 up front spread over two years to get a fundraiser in who can land on his/her feet running with ASOR’s program.

In order to maintain and gain those very difficult move-up dollars ASOR should anticipate a two-part fundraising goal:

·   Phase I.  Annual Campaign funds grow from approximately $100,000 to approximately $300,000 to $600,000+ in three years.
·   Phase II.    Build infrastructure and connections along the way to begin an Endowment of two million dollars plus, as well as other program specific Campaigns.

Recommendation # 3:

First Money for the Professional Staff Will Come from Recruiting New Members to the Board of Trustees:

ASOR’S Board of Trustees must remain sensitive to the research mission while becoming comfortable reaching out to welcome potential non-scholars into membership at all levels. Recruiting and retaining business and philanthropic Board members who are committed to raising money is essential to ASOR’s future success.  Since the task of steering ASOR into the future rests with the Board of Trustees, ASOR’s first step in moving forward is to recruit new Board Members.

·   The Chairman, President, Officers and Staff need to identify at least thirty high capacity Board prospects who have the financial capacity and a philanthropic record of accomplishment, preferably in Higher Education. 
·   An outside consultant should be engaged to help develop a professional presentation for prospective new Board members that will quickly engage and inform candidates about ASOR’S past achievements and on going projects and plans. The presentation should also involve a number of ASOR dignitaries…and after preliminary work by the contact person…secure a date and deliver the formal “pitch” about the importance of ASOR.  The purpose of this presentation will be to get this individual engaged in being part of ASOR’S “turning point” and buy-in to its new and ongoing plans and activities.
·   Prospective new Board Members should be invited to join P.E. MacAllister and friends to build on a great academic history and begin a next and better ASOR century and era.
·   Tell them what you are applying first money to do and why.
·   Convey to them what a crucial difference they would be for ASOR and invite them to take leadership role in the enterprise and passage.
·   Ask them to give a five-figure plus gift and to be willing to join in this “First Money” quest by asking others they know…who could be of like spirit about ASOR’s mission to be on the Board or make contributions.

Recommendation # 4:

The “Pitch” for First Money… You Know What You Want to Do and Why and

“It All Takes Money”

ASOR’S members have many important points of agreement that have become clear as a result of this Study which call for more dollars and many good issues that an experienced fundraiser could successfully translate into a “selling” picture. A fundraising campaign should be organized around the major programmatic points of consensus that currently exist. Among the major points are:

·   Strengthening membership services: The respondents believe in their research, find great satisfaction in their careers, believe that ASOR has made a crucial difference in their individual success and want ASOR’s membership services strengthened for themselves and for the prospects of entry-level scholars.
·   Re-vitalize the Committee for Archaeological Policies (CAP) as a vehicle for strengthening ASOR’s relationship with the Overseas Institutes: CAP is a center piece and should be revitalized in all respects. This is the most effective way for ASOR to ensure its continuing connection to and role in the field and as a first step towards improving its relationships with the Overseas Institutes.
·   Translate ASOR’s subject matter to reach a popular audience: Actuating an effective outreach campaign to translate ASOR’s important and fascinating research to a popular audience is an idea whose time has come. ASOR can gain important organizational traction because of its important and on going contribution to our understanding of early civilization. This is a necessary step for ASOR to raise its public profile in order to gain friends and financial support for ASOR’s agenda.
·   Continue and expand the public lecture program: The Lecture Series, “Great Debates” and organizing local chapters and regional conferences are all people to people pathways to reaching out to educate and win new “Friends Of” ASOR’s Mission.
·   Develop ways to increase the public impact of the Annual Meeting and Publications: The Annual Meeting and Publications are stellar…now ASOR’s bookend services but there are many reasons for, and ideas about improving them. Among the suggestions were…utilizing the gathering of so many world class scholars as an opportunity to maximize ASOR’s outreach, developing a discreet track for entry level scholars, funding to bring Near Eastern colleagues to the conference…and enhancing the professional expertise of Publications.
·   ASOR must take a leading role in reintroducing the importance of its research and scholarship within the Academy: The Humanities and specifically Near Eastern archaeology are experiencing diminishing funding (and jobs) on American campuses. ASOR can play a central role in vitalizing inter-related action plans among the associated fields of archaeology. Programs should be developed to make our Institutional Members feel that their ASOR support is of value to their interests.

Opinions from the Study interviewees:

·   “If those involved Near Eastern Archaeology succeed at raising money to enhance scholarship jobs will follow.”
·   “If the goal was to use this as a spearhead for raising money to endow more Department Chairs…I am all for it...and I would help.”
·   “The great days of only scholars serving scholars have long since fallen behind.”
·   “The key is not to grow or lead ASOR from the bottom up…but from the top down…we lack and must develop an intellectual agenda with a cross section of our most excellent younger and senior scholars sitting together. Then they should present their document to ASOR with a strong sell. Perhaps more than one task force could bring forward an agenda.”
·   “ASOR is on the brink of greatness again…if the individuals take the steps in scholarship and ASOR raises some money.”

Recommendation # 5

Develop a new partnership with Higher Education:

Strengthening Higher Education is an American priority and as such is a major recipient of individual philanthropy as well as funds from Foundations, Corporations, Local, State, and Federal governments.  Many billions of dollars are flowing into building up all aspects of our colleges and universities.  In this connection, it is of strategic and fundraising importance for ASOR to maintain and expand its Institutional Membership base. This means they must first understand what ASOR is and experience useful benefits for their dues. ASOR must show why a stronger institutional membership would be of importance to further their larger interests.

·   There is consensus among all funding sources that the quality and ability of our scholars and teachers is an essential element of success to the educational enterprise at all levels.
·   ASOR is the membership organization for Near Eastern scholars. Because of its 103-year tradition of outstanding scholarship the case can and should be made that it deserves a larger share of the flow from America’s river of financial commitments to Higher Education.

The Argument: The highly professional contribution and excellence of ASOR’s scholars at both the undergraduate and graduate school levels and the ongoing vitality of ASOR’s research agenda has everything to do with the purposes of Higher Education.

·   Increased funding will insure the continuity and effectiveness of archaeological research in the Near East which is a well regarded, entitled, collegial study of human kind’s origins that ultimately furthers our understanding of civilizations past and present.

From Whom Does ASOR Raise the Money within Higher Education?

There are hundreds of thousands of donors who are giving billions of dollars to higher education.  Most of those major donors realize the crucial importance of quality of faculty and scholarship in their quest for excellence in Higher Education.

·   Part of ASOR’s new fundraising model will need to include the introduction by individual scholars to donors whom they already know that are currently supporting, particular archaeological projects or particular Academic Institutions. This should be seen as an important vehicle for creating and expanding the donor pool for the ”big-picture” field related program advances. If a new willingness to pool resources is fostered and the case made…some will contribute a percentage of philanthropic dollars to ASOR programs in order to further assist the cause of Near Eastern archaeology.
·   ASOR’s financial challenge to move up to a next level of membership services would be more than met…with a tiny fraction of a 1/1000 of 1% of the dollars invested in the growth of Higher Education.

ASOR must feel empowered and deserving to gain its fair share of what it will take to keep Near Eastern archaeologists in its rightful place in the front row of Academia in the 21st century.

Recommendation # 6:

The Return of the Committee for Archaeology Policy as “The Anchor of the Fundraising Drive.”

As noted in the Centennial Campaign Plan:

“The work of CAP focuses on the core interest of the organization, i.e. the encouragement and support of excavations and related project research in the Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean regions. One of ASOR’s most important services to its constituents involves support of field research activities including the encouragement of high standards for excavations, and the fostering of deliberative and ethical practices for project research. Scholars and academic institutions may apply for affiliation of their projects with ASOR through CAP. Their efforts receive advice, encouragement and constructive criticism though a peer-review process. An annual field tour of affiliated projects by the Committee Chairperson and its members helps to enhance communications and maintain standards set by CAP for ASOR.”

With additional funds CAP will be able to:

·   Systematically communicate with the Institutional Members about the progress of the research, that their affiliation is supporting and highlight the publications, contributions and honors of the ASOR scholars attached to their departments and projects.
·   Work with the Overseas Institutes and Antiquities Departments and provide funding for new and ongoing projects. CAP and ASOR would gain new relevance internationally and would be able to enhance the work of the Institutes. This will tend to energize the nature and scope of the research agendas of all concerned.
·   Assist to get more scholars, students, and particularly projects into the field.
·   CAP may take the lead in identifying and conveying ASOR’s membership benefits to the affiliated Institutional members.

A majority of members expressed a commitment to the central importance of the Overseas Centers and an anticipation of a stronger ASOR being in a position to make direct contributions to those Overseas Institutes.

·   In round one…significantly strengthening CAP in its old and new role would be the best way for ASOR to begin a new a more tangible relationship with its offspring.
·   In round two…with an accelerated ASOR fundraising capacity ASOR and the Institutes would be well served by ASOR coordinating an annual fund-raising tour …with and…for the Institutes…-complete with parlor meetings…provocative timely high profile lectures or debates etc and solicitations…with expenses taken off the top and found dollars split…ASOR 25% and the Institutes 75%.
·   In round two…ASOR’s could…and would be well served…to make some kind of a direct dollar contribution to the Institutes.

Recommendation # 7

ASOR must get over its “push / pull” about the professional Social Science, Humanities verses Biblical Studies dichotomy that exist within the membership and become a “big tent organization” by welcoming diverse approaches in the field.

ASOR’S membership is multi-disciplined, scientific, professional, Biblical and everything in between. The diversity of the membership was reflected in the diversity of opinion on this topic.  Nonetheless, ASOR’S members know who they are, what needs to be done to improve the research and agree on more than enough values and possibilities about ASOR as an institution to move forward.  New money for a regrouping to promote and maximize ASOR’s intrinsic scholarly value and distinguished heritage would resolve most of the membership’s introspection and arguing about:

·   The role of Biblical Studies in ASOR…
·   Who we are…and getting a life after the Institutes went independent.
·   Needs for a new intellectual agenda, mission, vision statements…and other calls for turning the umbrella inside out…or who gets to be under it?

From a fundraising stand point, this “what is” or “who is ASOR” struggle is either:

·   What membership groups do when they do not have enough money?
·   Or the divisive, estranging and distracting process that precludes raising dollars.

In recent years, ASOR has institutionally addressed the intersection of Social Sciences and the Biblical Studies by separating from SBL and taking the word Biblical Archaeologists off the masthead and renaming it Near Eastern Archaeology…those changes are not being seriously challenged.

The strategic view of ASOR’s future as a builder of bridges:

The current ASOR membership is evenly arrayed along the spectrum of possible motivations for digging in the Middle East.  A strong middle ground exists within the membership that realizes that none of the associated membership organizations from AIA to SBL are holding all the cards and that ASOR has the unique opportunity to be the focus at the center. In this nexus lies and important opportunity for ASOR.

·   There are human and material advantages for individual members and ASOR as an institution…to operate among and with the various entities, disciplines and motivations in a co-operative spirit.
·   Rather than tear itself apart being either strictly social science, humanities or biblically based…in a time of diminishing support for the Humanities and archaeology…ASOR would be well served to become a leader, convener, collaborator with all associated membership groups and individual scholars.
·   ASOR might have a separate sub-committee for SBL and AIA charged with cooperating, to establish win-win bridges for members.
·   ASOR might consider both an AIA and a SBL standing committee for connecting and improving relations with the other membership organizations. These committees would be charged with maintaining and seeking more mutual membership advantages, and seek opportunities to combine advocacies (outreach/developing jobs in the fields, fundraising, lobbying) and other mutually advantageous tie-ins.
·   This bridge building begins with cooperation, tolerance and mutual respect within and among ASOR’s members.
·   Let the pendulum settle along the center.
·   In the name of Near Eastern archaeology moving on...ASOR has much to raise money for…on the highroad…having a consensus on the vast majority of institutional issues crucial to funding and invigorating the research agenda.

Recommendation # 8

Fundraising Plans Follow Institutional Repositioning:

Implementing the Findings garnered from the voices of the interviewees and inter-related recommended steps for re-positioning ASOR for fundraising is the essential foundation for successful solicitations. Fundraising and a Campaign Plan are for the most part cookie-cutter once the rugged Institutional changes as recommended in this Study have been made.  Many outstanding development professionals know the plans and the techniques and can implement, but under funded non-profits are rarely ready for them. ASOR’S Centennial Campaign Plan was a classic state-of-the-art plan, but impossible to implement in its current set-up.

·   A new Executive Director and or a new Development Director with Major Gifts campaign experience will be able to work with these recommendations and the membership to succeed in raising money for ASOR and Near Eastern archaeology.
·   Such changes will also allow ASOR’S professional staff to shift its focus and enlarge its grant-writing activities. An interviewee stated…
·   “Part of ASOR’s reinvention of itself should be to develop a significant presence in Washington D.C. in order to avail itself of the many opportunities to network at the national and international level and tap into the tremendous funding sources which exist there. In this regard, it should attempt to turn over a new leaf with CAORC.
·   “CAORC is a crucial Washington, D.C. gateway and ASOR should make a point of cementing relationships there. It needs to touch base as a matter of courtesy and for contacts and directions to other funding sources in the ”Capital.”

Recommendation # 9

Study the survey carefully and implement a clear response:

This Study is a once in a generation reading. It is ASOR’s single most important investment in hearing back from its membership.

·   118 members participated in the survey
·   79 members put their name on this Study
·   33 written surveys were signed and mailed in
·   46 interviews were conducted on the telephone or in person
·   39 surveys were mailed in anonymously.

All members are encouraged to get a copy of the complete Study and read for yourselves, in a rare opportunity, what each other have to say about ASOR.

·   The comments by the members are arrayed in the study… appear here as they were said and in which questions they were answered.
·   The heart and soul of ASOR comes through in the hundreds of anonymous quotes…as a voice from between the lines.
·   See what the members say in the raw data!  Draw your own conclusions.
·   There are many other statements from interviewees about important subjects…and especially suggestions about entry-level scholars…that were not emphasized in the recommendations…that call out for attention.
·   The process of accepting and implementing this Study will serve as the foundation of compiling a three to five year business plan.

ASOR’s leadership and professional staff is encouraged to:

·   Communicate through ASOR’s various channels the outcome of the Study to the membership.
·   Welcome additional comments and input about this Study from the membership and participation of all interested volunteers over the next two months.
·   Factor other important recent strategic plans like the Centennial Fundraising Campaign Plan and the findings of the Atlanta Planning Conference which took place in September, 2001 into the implementation of the Feasibility and Strategic Campaign Planning Study.
·   As a step in the process of introducing this study to the membership…bring together various small interdisciplinary groups… perhaps regionally…perhaps in telephone conference calls…with men and women…new and senior scholars… to meet in focus groups…then synthesize… to act as a panel of responses to the Board. 
·   If there is enough support for the findings and recommendations of the Study the President and the Board need to establish an Implementation Task Force…ASAP.

 

The membership wants this Study and its recent predecessors to be brought to bear on a promising ASOR future…and they said…

·   “This time it is different!”
·   “Too many members have weighed in this time to go on with business as usual.”
·   “Just the threshold of so many of us speaking into this Study and the opportunity for all interested members to read and study even the raw data…is a unique clarifying process for ASOR to hear and move with.”

 

 

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