VP Cheng urges heads: “Dream Big”
Mr. Ricky Cheng, Vice President for Development, United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia led the lecture-workshop on “Fund Raising Strategies” in the conference for heads of schools held on November 27-30, 2014 at Jakarta Theological Seminary, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Mr. Cheng made a parallel comparison of building a great institution to building a dream house. According to him, any school which aspires to be a great institution must begin to dream big, to decide to cease being good, and to start walking to the pathway to greatness. With this, he urged the participants to revisit their vision and mission statements in order for them to know where they are going. But dreaming is not enough. He said “Going from good to great requires a strategic plan.” And just like building a structure, a school needs finances to implement such plan. Yet, tuition fees alone do not suffice the monetary needs of the school. With this, he presented the need of a fund raising program. Mr. Cheng defined fund raising as “advancing the institution quickly to the direction of the strategic plan.” He went on to discuss the principles and the types of donors fund raising. A group discussion ensued after the lecture wherein the participants shared experiences in fund raising (the joys, challenges and overcoming obstacles).
The conference also included a panel discussion on the topic, “Leadership as a Calling and the Principal’s Role in Building the Financial Resources of the School”. The invited panelists were Rev. Chan Chong Hiok, President, East Asia School of Theology, Singapore; Rev. Dr. Joas Adiprasetya, President, Jakarta Theological Seminary, Indonesia; and Dr. Cristina Manabat, President, Harris Memorial College, Philippines. The panelists shared their views on fund raising based on the nature of the school’s programs and system of governance of each of their institutions. All of them emphasized the importance of establishing good relationship with stakeholders and maintaining the integrity of the school’s leadership in any fund raising enterprise.
Thirty (30) heads of schools participated in the said event. They shared their views on how ATESEA can assist them in fund raising such as: “support faculty development for leadership especially in fund-raising skills and competency” and “introduce deserving seminaries to foundations which specializes in giving to schools.”
One of the participants, Rev. Chan Chong Hiok, commented, “Ricky Cheng from United Board made his mark through a marvelous job bringing down the subject and practice of Fund Development into its essence and helping conferees grasp the science and art of Development. I believe he gave his best and spoke with full authority from his vast experience and successes in the practice. I personally benefited from the seminar taking home several pointers. … My expectations at the consultation were exceeded….”
