Has community college fundraising changed since the pandemic? In some ways, yes.
According to members of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), “identifying and securing funding from many sources — public and private — has been more critical than ever,” says Meg Natter, CASE’s director of community colleges and foundations.
Community colleges have benefited from “heightened visibility” in recent years, due in part to their ability to adapt training programs for the changing workforce, Natter says. But that also has come with “heightened pressure” to continually secure diverse funding streams, strengthen alumni engagement and generate corporate partnerships, among other things.
To add to all that, foundation and advancement staff need to be concerned with values alignment, reaching funders on social media and making donor experiences more personal.
Aligning values
At South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC), Vice President of Advancement Kelly Green says “values conversations” are becoming more normal with funders. While it’s not new to talk with donors about their interests and values, conversations like these are happening more often, and are revealing what’s on donors’ minds today.
For instance, the pandemic brought students’ basic needs issues to the forefront – and “donors connected with that,” Green says. Also, the killing of George Floyd in 2020 also led to an increased focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Green says donors – and potential donors – may ask questions about whether the college is teaching critical race theory and what books are being taught in the classroom.
“We’ve gained donors where value alignment is a bigger deal,” Green says, more so with individual donors than foundations. But, she points out, Washington State is fairly liberal and doesn’t have any anti-DEI regulations in education.
That recently benefited the college. A small family foundation had previously given money in other states, but, because of the political climate in those states, the funders worried laws would limit what the colleges could do with the money. The funders ended up donating to SPSCC.
“It’s a benefit to be in a state where we can still do the equity work,” Green says.
More flexibility
A positive trend in fundraising, at least at SPSCC, is that more donations, particularly from foundations, are coming with fewer strings attached.
Colleges had to hold on to restricted money during the pandemic because it was earmarked for programs and initiatives that couldn’t happen while everything was shut down, according to Green. Donors could see that colleges had to pivot in order to get money into the hands of students.
Now, more donors are giving “flexible money,” Green says. “They trust that we know how to use the money to benefit the students.”
She adds that reporting requirements have loosened up a bit, too.
An uptick
Down the coast in California, things are looking good with the Orange Coast College (OCC) Foundation. The foundation just received $200,000 to support OCC’s men’s and women’s rowing teams. A campaign to raise money for student-athletes brought in another $200,000 – the same campaign raised $150,000 last year.
The college is also preparing for Giving Tuesday in early December. Last year’s Giving Tuesday campaign raised more than $700,000, thanks in large part to a $500,000 donation for the college’s Jeff Gross Photography Endowment.
The foundation’s executive director, Doug Bennett, attributes the uptick in fundraising in part to the foundation’s maturity. It’s 39 years old this year.
“More people know about us,” says Bennett, who was hired to start the foundation in 1985 and will retire next month.
During Covid, the foundation raised some money for student emergency grants, but the pandemic didn’t really alter fundraising, according to Bennett.
And politics doesn’t really enter the conversation when talking with donors.
“If they’re giving, they believe in the mission of the college and their politics are separate from that,” Bennett says.
Increase in social media use
One thing that has changed with the OCC Foundation is the increased use of social media. And they’re not alone. Green at SPSCC says social media and other digital tools have been helpful in storytelling.
“Advancement staff can — and should — lean on their institutions’ marketing and communications team to harness the storytelling power of social media and other marketing and communications tools,” CASE’s Meg Natter advises.
Along with that, “fundraisers should encourage lead volunteers — especially foundation board members — to share positive news within their own networks,” Natter says. “Community colleges serve a diverse population, so reaching this audience requires equally diverse methods of outreach.”
Decrease in big events
The use of social media has helped as big, in-person fundraising events are on the decline. At SPSCC, the days of crowded galas are over – at least for now.
“No one has been clamoring for that to come back,” Green says.
The college still hosts its annual golf tournament but is also hosting more small events with donors that align with their interests, like tours of specific workforce labs. These events are more personal and allow donors to spend more face-time with the college’s president.
The funders who would sponsor SPSCC’s annual gala are “still stepping up,” Green says. The biggest loss is the storytelling piece. Galas often provide an opportunity for students to get on stage and tell their stories, but, again, that’s where social media can fill the gap.
Bennett and Green both say it’s more important to build long-term relationships with funders, which is done through conversations, not galas.
“Let’s face it, special events are expensive, and while everyone loves a good party, community college advancement professionals must be incredibly focused on return on investment (ROI),” CASE’s Natter says.
She says that advancement staff need to think strategically about where to channel their resources.
“The more impactful ROI typically happens through a focus on smaller, strategic receptions and programs targeting major gift prospects,” she says. “Invite a major gift prospect to an event already being held on your campus, such as a celebration of a workforce development initiative, an interesting course, a theater production or graduation. Let them feel your passion, meet your president, and congratulate those whose lives and businesses have improved thanks to your community college.”
Natter adds, “I know there’s pressure to continue fun special events, and many are very successful, but I bet a prospect attending a community college graduation with you will lead to a major gift faster than that prospect attending a party with a good DJ.”
