As the director of alumni affairs at the University of Waterloo, the author had two questions to answer: How engaged are the university's alumni, and how can advancement professionals double the current level of alumni engagement and alumni giving? The author explored these questions, found answers, and implemented the solutions. This was the…

This overview of the state of endowment giving comes at a time of urgent need in the nonprofit sector. With market returns uncertain, and spending restraint difficult, the moderate but measurable increase in donations in the previous year invites institutions to consider elevating fund-raising to a more strategic position within the organization.…

In the late 1960s, Kent E. Dove, a new fund raiser at Indiana University, spent so many evenings at the home of his colleague Curtis R. Simic. The two junior fund raisers would talk into the wee hours about how they'd do things differently, if only they were in charge of raising money for their alma mater. Now, more than 40 years later, that's…

This paper reviews the need for grant writing skills within various types of organizations and the resulting proposal for including grant writing within business administration curriculum at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels. An introduction precedes the results of a survey regarding current grant writing courses within AACSB schools of…

Alumni participation rates of 40 percent and more are not uncommon at private baccalaureate institutions in the United States. At most publics, there is real cause for cheering when the rate peaks over 10 percent. Part of the problem is simply the math. With larger pools of alumni, public institutions face much higher costs, for instance, to send…

As peer reviewers for the U.S. Department of Education begin to comb through the thousands of pages of applications for $4 billion in federal Race to the Top Fund grants, they'll be under pressure to determine which are most worthy of funding: those that promise the most, or those with the best chance of delivering. In a competition whose criteria…

States significantly increased buy-in from local teachers' unions in round two of the Race to the Top competition, but made far less progress in enlisting districts or expanding the number of students affected by the states' education reform plans. Those patterns emerged from an "Education Week" analysis of applications from 29 states…

Every student, who meets some basic eligibility requirements, can get some type of financial aid regardless of age or family income. Federal student aid is a financial aid from the federal government to help a student pay for education expenses at an eligible college, technical school, vocational school, or graduate school. There are three…

This publication is only available as a downloadable file. See who's giving and getting grants in your field. Strengthen your search for funds with the Foundation Center's digital edition of "Grants for Arts, Culture & The Humanities." This new "Grant Guide" reveals the scope of current foundation giving in the field. You'll find descriptions of…

Teachers' unions in at least two states are threatening to withhold endorsements of their states' Race to the Top applications, which could jeopardize the states' chances of winning the coveted federal dollars. In a letter printed as an advertisement in the Tallahassee Democrat, Florida Education Association President Andy J. Ford discouraged…

Although fundraising is not necessarily a natural activity for those trained and serving in student affairs functions, it is activity to which those in the field may have to grow accustomed. Fundraising on behalf of student affairs needs to be undertaken with a widely understood process and clearly articulated goals. When student affairs staff…

In this article, the author suggests several tips that educators should consider before applying for a grant. Any proposal needs these six components: (1) overall concept; (2) goal or purpose; (3) objectives; (4) justification; (5) timetable; and (6) expenses. (Contains 4 online resources.)

A lot of students have benefited from part of the $27-million in federal and state grant money that Del Mar College has received since it opened a centralized office for grants and sponsored research in 2005. Del Mar, which has about 11,000 credit-seeking students, is one of a growing number of community colleges that make up for shrinking state…

Faced with large and continued cuts in state funding, U.S. public postsecondary institutions are looking for new ways to both communicate their needs and garner support. They are calling on longtime supporters, enlisting new allies, developing strategic alliances, and crafting new messages and campaigns--all to underscore the importance of higher…

The economy has school districts in a stranglehold. But there is a way out. Despite beliefs to the contrary, the grant money pot has not dried up. The author's book "Successful Grant Writing for School Leaders: 10 Easy Steps" shares strategies and success stories from some of his own 30 school grants and from school districts small and…