Building a Culture of Philanthropy on Campus

For all of the talk about how selfish Americans are, the fact is that the majority of us donated money to a charitable cause in the past year. Even COVID-19 didn’t slow down our culture of philanthropy, with Gallup reporting that the coronavirus resulted in only a slight decrease in charitable giving. In fact, more than 73 percent of U.S. adults report having donated money to a charitable organization in the past year, whereas more than half volunteered time.

When looking for places to donate, it seems that for wealthy Americans, college advancement and fundraising rank number one, according to studies released in 2018 by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.  Plus, community members from all financial backgrounds support community colleges with donations of laptops, food, gift cards, and scholarship contributions, big and small. More recently, some community colleges have even received record breaking gifts. Like Northeast Community College and Blackfeet Community College, who received stunning donations from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

As stories of the impact of community college reach more Americans, donors are realizing that even modest financial gifts can make substantial impacts to huge numbers of students, opening opportunities for alumni, staff, faculty and even students to make a difference for your community college.

“Throughout my years working in the community college environment I’ve seen firsthand the great impact philanthropy has on our school and students,” writes Dawn Magretta, the executive director of Schoolcraft College Foundation in an opinion piece for the Detroit News. “Typically, donor-dollars can go further at community colleges. For example, a $500 scholarship may not be enough to fund one class credit at a university. At Schoolcraft College in Livonia, the same amount of money covers a three-credit class, plus books. All of a sudden, what was a minor donation becomes life-changing for individuals.”

PLANT THE SEEDS OF GIVING RIGHT AWAY

This type of life-changing philanthropy doesn’t have to happen as a result of multi-million-dollar donations (though that would be nice). Colleges who follow a few simple rules can create a culture of philanthropy amongst their supporters and community, creating financial opportunities for students for years to come. 

Growing a culture of philanthropy means planting charitable “seeds” with your faculty, staff and students, starting on day one. Employee orientations can contain handouts from the foundation with recognition of programs that are supported by employees, such as food banks or scholarships. And students will love knowing that the community at large is dedicated to their success and committed to easing the financial burden of attending a college. Telling these stories on social media or your website is a quick, effective way to showcase your community’s commitment to philanthropy.

Beyond broadcasting successes, ensure that you involve students in the philanthropic experience, and remind them that, in the not-too-distant future, when they too are successful, there will be students at the college in need. This is the philosophy embraced by Cal State University San Marcos (CSUSM), located in Southern California. CSUSM has established a student Philanthropy Council that assists with Giving Day activities. The University’s Foundation Board matches donations from students, which helped CSUSM raise nearly $280,000 in just 24 hours.

“The students are really seeing the impact of their gift, the fact that donors are investing with them, and then as they become alumni, it becomes natural then for them to want to provide that same kind of opportunity that the other generation provided to them,” explained Vice President Emeritus for University Advancement at CSUSM in a Higher Education Coffee and Conversation podcast. “We also let our student scholarship recipients know that you’re getting this opportunity now and when you become an alumnus and you become successful in your career, you need to think about giving that back to the students that are coming behind you. It’s been amazing to see how that has grown, and amazing to see the participation of our alumni in our foundation board because of these kinds of activities.”

PRACTICE UNIVERSAL GRATITUDE

In political campaigns we have seen small donations—even in increments of $10 or $20 dollars—pay huge dividends. That too is true when it comes to college philanthropy. While it is wonderful to score a huge endowment or find an individual willing to invest in building the next science laboratory on your campus, creating a true culture of philanthropy means that all donations, big or small, deserve recognition and celebration.

“You have to respect and acknowledge the five-dollar gifts, the 10-dollar gifts today that will someday turn into the $50,000, $100,000, million-dollar gifts of tomorrow. Those donors who are young in their giving cycle often don’t feel appreciated. And if that happens, they’re going stop giving. So, it’s really important to understand that small donors become the big donors of tomorrow,” said Baur.

Magretta confers and demonstrates how even small grants to students, especially during these turbulent times, can make a world of a difference. At Schoolcraft College, philanthropy, even in small doses, played a crucial role in providing laptops, WiFi, lab kits for chemistry students, and more. “Many students and their families are struggling to make ends meet. Some have lost their jobs, and a $250 Distance Learning Scholarship was what they needed to take spring class and keep learning. Nearly 800 students were helped with this one-time scholarship.”

MAKE IT PERSONAL

During the initial months of the pandemic, the foundation at Santa Ana College in California picked up the phones and had donors call scholarship applicants, both those who received scholarships as well as those who did note.

“It was magical,” says Christina Romero, Executive Director of the Santa Ana College Foundation in a Higher Education Coffee and Conversation podcast.

“There were about 50 calls that we assigned to these constituents and the feedback that we got from our donors was that it was like a present. It was a reminder as to why they are giving or are engaged at Santa Ana College.”

Letting your donors be the good news makers in an informal setting, rather than in a large ceremony, allows for personal connections that may not otherwise be made. In fact, this particular exercise at Santa Ana College led to follow up donations from foundation board members who wanted to provide even more support to students. 

Picking up the phone and sending letters have turned out to be the amongst the best strategies that Romero employs to create a culture of philanthropy on and off campus. While it’s much easier and cost effective to send emails, the fact that it is so much less personal has made those efforts less successful.

“It’s so overloading to open your email box,” Romero said. “I think there’s something in going back to the basics and asking yourself, ‘How can we just use tools that maybe we’ve forgotten about?’ We’ve found that sending notes in the mail to donors, writing handwritten notes from students to constituent, those are things that really give people pause during the time when they’re getting hundreds of text messages or being inundated on social media.”

Taking the time to make it personal shows that the relationship with a donor, no matter if they are a five-dollar donor or a $500,000 donor, is what will create repeat giving and a belief in the cause for years to come.

Creating a culture of philanthropy doesn’t have to be expensive or overwhelming. By planting the seeds of giving, being inclusive with your gratitude, and making personal connections with donors and students alike, you can make progress toward making philanthropy a key part of your organization’s personality.