About
Clive
Clive Watkins joined ASIJ in 2020 after serving as Director of Institutional Advancement at the International School of Prague for 10 years. Prior to that he was Director of Development at St. Andrew's School in Barrington, Rhode Island. Clive previously worked in banking and venture capital before finding his passion in non-profit fundraising. He holds a BA from the University of Florida and an MBA from F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. Clive has a particularly international family—he was born in Wales and raised in the United States, his wife Tasha is a French citizen born in Panama, and their sons were born in the United States and Luxembourg.
We asked
him
a few questions...
What is the most rewarding part of working in school Advancement?
As a recipient myself of financial aid at a private, non-profit boarding school, I know the difference that fundraising can make at an individual level. While there are many reasons for non-profit schools to fundraise, I personally get the most gratification from helping to ensure a financial aid program that will last in perpetuity.
Why is philanthropic support so important to a school?
What a school is able to offer is limited by its income (usually tuition income and perhaps summer programs); more income means more programs, the best teachers and facilities, the ability to respond to opportunities and emergencies, and more financial aid. Sure, a school could charge more to a certain extent, but what it can charge is limited by the usual market forces and the desire of the school to try to have as economically diverse a student body as possible. When everyone participates to the best of their own ability in the fundraising efforts of the school, it gives confidence to the administration to invest in more of what makes the school great, without having to raise tuition to a point that would be unaffordable by many.
In addition, successful fundraising allows the school to grow its “Endowment” (savings account). The size of the Endowment directly impacts the school’s ability to weather economic downturns; without an Endowment, and with a drop in tuition income, a school that doesn’t fundraise must risk its reputation by cutting programs, positions, infrastructure renovations, etc, directly affecting the long term health of the school. So, supporting the school in its fundraising efforts impacts not only the education that it provides today, but in the future.
When did you get your first Harley Davidson? And what is your favorite bike journey?
Well, to be brutally honest, the first Harley I ever bought never ran. I was in college and I had great expectations for it, but I had no idea what I was doing and I think I managed to break it more than it already was. Probably just as well that I never tried to ride it, and in the end I gave it away. On the upside, I certainly learned a lot about how to get my hands dirty. Since then, while I’ve rented Harleys, I’ve only ever owned Japanese bikes. Until now, of course; I bought a Harley when I got to Japan and am looking forward to being able to ride it soon.
My favorite bike journey? Well, because you said, “bike,” I’ll switch to bicycles. My first job out of college was working for a Canadian bicycle tour company in France, which is where I met my wife, Tasha. So I’m going to say that bicycling in the Provence in late October is not only beautiful, it evokes beautiful memories, too. And I’m looking forward to creating more of those memories here.