Wharton’s Chief Advancement Officer Bill Bole on the Power of Giving

Wharton Impact: You stepped into the role of CAO in January 2024, but you previously worked at the University of Pennsylvania for 13 years. What does this homecoming mean to you?

Bill Bole: I care deeply about the mission and work of the University, and in particular, the incredible accelerant that philanthropy and volunteerism provide in creating, scaling, and sustaining so many programs and increasing access for thousands of people. To have the chance to bring this deeply rooted passion to the world’s best business school is especially meaningful, humbling, and exciting.

WI: What inspired you to pursue a leadership role at Wharton, and what’s been your favorite part of the job so far?

BB: The secret sauce of this business is the convergence of three factors: an accomplished and ambitious institution with a strong leader, a passionate base of supporters, and a story to tell about future growth. Wharton has all three. It was a no brainer.

This may sound like a strange thing to point out as a favorite part of my first year — but I love that Wharton is an incredibly impatient place. There is no shortage of world-changing and market-moving ideas; and faculty, students, and staff are hungry to pursue them all. Our job is to sustain and help evolve some of the bedrock programs, centers, and institutes, and to bring resources to novel programs and ideas. Dean James talks about how Wharton has always “met the moment,” and I love that Wharton is as relevant today as it was nearly 150 years ago. But we don’t take this for granted and are continually looking to the future.

WI: As we begin the new academic year, what are some of the major philanthropic priorities for the Wharton School?

BB: Our major priorities for the year include continuing to drive support to many of our long-standing programs and to help set up and grow new ones. This includes bringing significant individual philanthropic and organizational support to the Wharton AI and Analytics Initiative (WAIAI). There is industry-leading artificial intelligence work taking place across the School, and WAIAI provides an organizing principle by which we can develop strategies and tactics to grow and maximize Wharton’s work on campus and across the world. We have opportunities for individuals to support any number of areas of WAIAI, and we are very excited about a new corporate affiliates program officially launching soon. We are looking for a visionary philanthropist who wants to work with us to turn the second “I” in WAIAI from an initiative into an institute, through a transformative philanthropic investment and close thought partnership. There are also a number of opportunities to help drive partnerships across the University to help Wharton and Penn lead the world in many areas of AI.

Given the ever-growing ambitions of the School, supporting The Wharton Fund is incredibly important right now. I know that at many places, it can be difficult to understand and appreciate the importance of an annual fund, but here, The Wharton Fund quite literally helps fuel much of what our alumni experience as pride points. From expanding access for students, to increasing the number of times we can say “yes” to new research ideas, to responding to emerging needs, The Wharton Fund helps make it all happen.

In our line of work, we talk often about being “priority driven and donor centric.” This means that we have to lead with our priorities but also make room in conversation to ensure we can help those who want to act on their personal values by supporting any number of important areas at Wharton, even if it is not something we are shouting from the proverbial rooftops.

We may need a part two for this! There are other areas where philanthropy can be incredibly powerful, and we also have a number of other ideas in the late planning stages that will demand our focus as well.

WI: Can you share a personal experience that highlights the importance of giving back in your own life?

BB: Sure. When I support organizations, I always look for demonstrable ways in which my giving can help accomplish a goal and drive the mission. Years ago, I got involved as both a donor and volunteer with an organization that supplies free cribs for families who can’t afford them. This program helped cut down on the infant mortality rate in Philadelphia — so the impact of my support and involvement was very easy to see. Wharton is a big place, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t also inspirational and life-changing stories to tell here. On the contrary, there are many! We are focused on telling more of these stories in order to better connect donors with the difference they are making.

WI: How are the fields of fundraising and alumni relations changing and how are you thinking about how Wharton responds to those changes?

BB: Trust, relationships, and a perception of added value drive decision-making about philanthropic investment and other forms of engagement. To some degree or another, higher education is seeing all three of these come under pressure and into question, requiring us to recalibrate how we go about our work. At the same time, trust in the business sector seems to be holding steady, and we are well-positioned to be a prominent voice in how business gets done and who goes out into the world to lead the global economy. Wharton is proud to be a leader in this regard, and we are focused on telling Wharton’s story — about our past, present, and future — in a way that always helps to build trust, create and sustain relationships, and articulates the value that giving to, and engaging with, Wharton brings.

Honest, direct communication is incredibly important right now, and people’s attention is harder than ever to get, so we have to be clear, quick, and concise when asking for attention, time, and support.

We also see growing opportunity to expand our base of support in several international markets, including India. Wharton faculty and the dean were there for a productive and highly energized trip this summer, and our office traveled with Wharton Executive Education to several Indian cities last fiscal year. We will continue to visit India, as well as strategically grow our investments in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. A few markets in the Middle East may offer the opportunity to engage with alumni as well.

WI: What’s your long-term vision for how External Affairs’ work can advance the mission of the School?

BB: Our work is very contextual, framed both by the history of the School and the priorities of the moment. Our primary role is to help catapult the story of this amazing School into the future in a way that honors and builds on our rich tradition of educational excellence and research innovation. The vision for External Affairs is quite synonymous with the vision of the School, actually, so my job is to understand this vision and work with Dean James, faculty, and staff, to help them partner with us and empower our team to make it happen. It is important that External Affairs not exist “next to” the mission and core work of the School (where it can too easily be misperceived simply as “the office that gets gifts”), but that we develop trust and close partnerships with faculty and staff to help tell their stories most effectively and build bridges to interested parties.

WI: How do you see Wharton positioning itself as a leader in AI and analytics education and research?

BB: First, I must note that people like Eric Bradlow and other faculty and administrative leaders are best positioned to answer this at the highest academic level. But I will say that in my early travels, it has been clear that both alumni and organizations are craving access to academic partners who can help them keep up with and make sense of the constantly changing landscape around artificial intelligence. Wharton’s incredible faculty are generating volumes of research in wide ranging areas — everything from creating libraries of prompts to helping the world better understand the complex governance issues around AI. All of this work finds its way into our undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, executive learning, and pre-baccalaureate programs and also has tremendous potential to benefit any number of industries looking to capitalize on AI in the workplace. 

WI: How can alumni strengthen their engagement with Wharton?

BB: We have been talking about being clearer with alumni when they ask, “What can I do?” So here are five things:

1. Engage with our content. Read our emails and print publications, and follow Wharton people on social media.
2. Tell your friends and networks about the incredible work taking place at Wharton. Encourage their own involvement, and consider whether their (or your) business might benefit from a closer partnership with our corporate partners or Executive Education programs.
3. Make a gift to The Wharton Fund every year. If you don’t yet understand how important it is, please ask!
4. Work with us to explore making Wharton one of your top philanthropic priorities. Whether you consider yourself a seasoned philanthropist or are just getting started, there is a place for you here, and your support is important!
5. Come visit, or help us visit you. Whether it is speaking in person or virtually to a class, coming back for reunion, or attending an event in a city near you, make sure you are tapping into the incredible Wharton network!