UC Davis needs to take advantage of its "chance to dream audaciously" as the campus readies itself for a $900 million comprehensive campaign, according to the president of one of the nation's most successful fund-raising universities.

University of Southern California President Steven Sample encouraged UC Davis to "think free" as it sets goals for the largest campaign in its history, and advised those involved in the effort that "it's more important to get your hand on a person's heart than on their wallet."

Speaking as part of the Chancellor's Forum to a crowd of about 250 campus academic administrators, advancement staff and foundation trustees on Nov. 4, Sample discussed the principles behind USC's successful fund-raising efforts. In 2002, under Sample's leadership, that campus completed a nine-year, $2.9 billion campaign -- the largest to date in American higher education.

"Fund raising is an art and an adventure," Sample said. "You have to have no fear of asking people for money. You need tenacity. And you need to not be afraid to be turned down."

Sample said that during USC's campaign, the focus was on the excellence of the campus's faculty and students. "We never talked about day-to-day needs," he said. "We talked about opportunity and potential. We told the world about our strengths, and invited them to help us build on those strengths."

Sample debunked several popular theories of fund raising, what he called "myths."

He said that USC's campaign was not built solely on alumni sentiment, and that many gifts came from non-alums drawn by the "compelling excellence" of departments, programs and faculty. He said you should spend more time "friend raising" than fund raising. He noted that athletics, even at a campus that is currently home to one of the nation's top-rated football teams, resulted only in a "tiny fraction" of giving -- less than 8 percent of total fund raising at USC. And he disagreed that anonymous gifts are best, believing that names are more powerful in encouraging future giving.

Sample offered several fund-raising tips for UC Davis, which he said could build successfully upon its strengths of public service, its history, and its land-grant and agricultural traditions.

"Know your story," he said, and "tell it loudly, proudly and often. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn.

"Create romance, emotional intensity, and make certain everyone involved has clear direction and a compelling self-understanding," Sample said, noting the importance of having a vision for the campus that generates excitement and identifies unique strengths.

USC's successful campaign was based largely upon the qualities highlighted in its campus role and mission statement -- a single typed page.

He advised all involved in the campaign to "remember that it's a team effort." At USC, volunteers and administrators were the principal "askers and closers." They worked in tandem with the development staff and trustees (who themselves contributed $1 billion), and with deans, faculty and students "who provide the substance to energize donors to give."