These two volunteers forged a cross-class connection that resulted in significant support for the HBS Fund for Leadership and Innovation.

When Alex Crisses stepped up to cochair his 5th Reunion, he decided to couple his own ideas about what would appeal to his classmates with the tried-and-true strategies used by HBS alumni with experience leading their successful reunion campaigns. So he turned to Alan Jones (AJ), who has been involved in HBS fundraising since graduating, and together they forged a cross-class connection that has resulted in significant support for the HBS Fund for Leadership and Innovation.

“AJ did a phenomenal job of helping us see the connection between support of the HBS Fund and the priorities of the School,” explains Crisses, managing director at Insight Venture Partners in New York. “He spoke at our class event in New York about why HBS is important to him. It resonated deeply with our class members.”

“I think there’s a real opportunity to share lessons learned with other classes,” says Jones, a managing director and head of Global Private Equity at Morgan Stanley. “There’s a misperception that Harvard doesn’t need our giving. There are many worthy philanthropies but HBS stands out because of its ability to leverage our dollars. When I give to Harvard, I see the multiplier effect—providing flexible dollars that ultimately enable the faculty and students to make enormous differences in the world.”

“AJ gave us the blueprint for talking about what the HBS Fund supports: research, curriculum innovation, and other critical needs,” notes Crisses, who served with cochairs Scott Belsky, Jen Lee Koss, and Rohit Sahni. “Together, we developed a fundraising mantra—educate people about what’s going on at HBS and tell them how we are raising money for change and transformation.”

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