By the time Tufts University announced its $1.2 billion fund-raising campaign last fall, it had already raised $615 million in the quiet phase. About half of those early donations came from just 39 people--the university's Board of Trustees. In an era when nearly every higher-education institution seems to be in the midst of or planning a capital…

The enactment of the Law to Promote Specified Nonprofit Activities in 1998 has resulted not only in a rapid increase in the number of specified nonprofit corporations (NPO corporations) but also in an urgent need for effective fundraising in Japan. Despite Japan's long and rich tradition of philanthropy and a serious need for fundraising, very…

Virginia Tech has decided to count gifts to a memorial fund for victims of the April 16 shootings toward its goal of raising $1-billion in a capital campaign. Higher-education fund-raising experts agree that counting the memorial-fund contributions toward the total does not break common donation-reporting guidelines. Many big college fund-raising…

School fundraising is a topic likely to elicit a variety of responses from principals. Some shrug it off as a responsibility of their school's PTA or PTO. Others may chuckle at the memory of kissing a pig or shaving their head. Of course, some principals will probably grumble at the thought of activities that are perceived as annoying…

February's column "Going Corporate" discussed ideas for approaching private foundations for funding. Some districts take this idea several steps further by partnering with the community and local businesses to establish a not-for-profit foundation, or local education foundation (LEF). It probably comes as no surprise that the idea of forming a LEF…

Examining the charitable behavior of 56,663 US households, this paper evaluates the distinctive characteristics of educational donors as compared with donors to noneducational charitable organizations and with nondonors. In general, educational donors had significantly greater income, wealth, and education than other donors. Educational donors…

With the nation's economy in turmoil and the government budget axe falling on educational programs, many corporations and private foundations are responding to what has become a pressing need for funding in K-12 education throughout the United States. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, as of June 2008,…

This articles provides a list of ideas for fun fundraising. Ideas include the following activities: putting together a spelling bee; holding a "pajama day"; "Taking frustration out on a balloon" activity; selling "finals week care packages for college students"; and selling "'goblin' insurance" activity (group offers services cleaning up after…

Query: Is hope a fund-raising strategy? Are there limits to fund raising or can more fund raising remedy every situation and solve every problem? Is it possible to raise money in times of trouble? What do you think? Answer: Hope is not an effective fund-raising strategy. There are, unequivocally, limits to fund raising. And it "is" possible to…

This white paper presents a case history of the Spelman College endowment and how good financial management and alternative strategies for the growth of the endowment has made Spelman's one of the largest among U.S. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). How has Spelman College been able to grow its endowment funds to this level? A…

About a year ago, Heidelberg College pumped up its spending for a new, streamlined scholarship program, and then promoted its simplified formula so that students would know how much they could get before they even applied. Heidelberg's strategies worked as it was able to brought in the second-largest class in its 158-year history and a gain in its…

Drawing on school histories, published adult recollections, oral interviews and children's letters, this article explores how the lives of young New Zealanders were affected by contemporary attitudes and activities during World War I in a country far removed from the actual theatre of war. Particular emphasis is given to school-related…

This article reports that a Virginia Tech professor whose wife was among 32 people killed by a student gunman last year will become director of the university's new Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. Jerzy Nowak will give up his job as chairman of Tech's horticulture department to take the new post on July 1. His wife, Jocelyne…

Coming up with ideas for major donations that are not only enticing to the most generous philanthropists but are also aligned with an institution's goals is a vexing problem for many colleges. With 28 colleges now in the midst of capital campaigns with goals of $1-billion or more, finding the right ideas has never been more important. To find…

This book offers a comprehensive and detailed look at private fundraising in community colleges. In the foreward, Karen A. Stout, President, Montgomery County Community College, describes it as a "must-read" for aspiring and new community college presidents, academic leaders searching for ways to bring in new dollars to support new programs, and…