Reflective Essay on Theme III, Issue No. 5: External
Fundraising
CSUSB began actively seeking significant levels of external
support in the early 1990s, when the California State University
Board of Trustees charged each campus with raising the equivalent
of ten percent of its general fund allotment. While the university
raised an impressive $13.5 million in pledges and gifts between
1992-1997 as part of its first major fund-raising campaign,
it wasn't until 1999-2000 that the campus met the Trustee's
ten percent fund-raising goal. That year CSUSB reported a
record $8.3 million in gifts. Initiatives, such as the university's
first scholarship campaign, and the continuation of efforts
to raise funds for the Palm Desert campus and meet the educational
needs of the growing Coachella Valley, were the impetus for
that success. Nearly three-fourths of gifts that year were
earmarked for the Palm Desert campus.
An emphasis in the university's strategic plan on community
partnerships produced more recent projects that offer attractive
giving opportunities at the main campus. Among those are the
Inland California Television Network, the Water Resources
Institute and the Presidential Scholars program. With a new
prospect researcher and ten full-time development professionals
now on staff, the university seems better positioned to take
advantage of these and other giving opportunities.
Already this year, the university received one of its largest
single gifts yet, a $3 million contribution from the San Manuel
Band of Mission Indians. The gift will be used for students
scholarships and internships and for the expansion of programming
and facilities for the Cross Cultural Center. For an overview
of other gifts given to the University, please review the
University Advancement Division Five Year Gift History, which
provides data from 7/1/97 to 6/30/02. (http://thewasc.csusb.edu/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i5/5yrrecon.pdf)
Until recently, CSUSB did not have a tradition of involvement
nor giving among its alumni, an increasingly important constituency
now numbering over 40,000 addressable alumni. Stepped up efforts
in alumni marketing and membership programs and in the annual
fund drive have resulted in record jumps in alumni membership,
participation and giving. The university's 40th anniversary,
which will be celebrated in 2004-05, will bring many more
opportunities to engage alumni, recognize their achievements,
and encourage their support of their alma mater.
International alumni remain a relatively untapped source
of support for CSUSB. Reconnecting with and involving these
alumni as donors and in recruiting international students,
thereby increasing student fee revenues, is a key priority
in the coming years.
Private-sector gifts may have dipped in the past couple of
years, but the university has seen unprecedented levels of
federal appropriations during that time. In four years, CSUSB
received a total of $25,455,000 in special federal appropriations,
earning it the No. 26 spot this year among universities receiving
such funds. (http://thewasc.csusb.edu/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i5/FedIni00-04.pdf)
With these appropriations, CSUSB is positioning itself as
a leader in developing distance learning and advanced technology
transfer programs. Federal appropriations also are helping
to further fund the Water Resources Institute and create an
Arabic/Islamic Studies program, the only such program in the
California State University system.
Grant activity has grown at a continual accelerating pace
at CSUSB over the past 8 years. The growth reflects the concurrence
of a number of factors: Growth in numbers of faculty and students;
Recruitment and support of new faculty oriented to externally-funded
research and support programs; Encouragement of all faculty
and staff grant development by academic administrators-especially
the president, provost, and deans; Expanded support of faculty
development activities of the Research and Sponsored Programs
Office: Development and support of federal relations activities;
and, leadership and encouragement of collaborative grant partnership
with other organizations in the state and region. (http://thewasc.csusb.edu/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i5/SponProgrs.pdf)
One of the greatest challenges in the advancement division
continues to be retaining professional fund-raising staff.
Five different vice presidents or associate vice presidents
in as many years have headed up the institutional advancement
division in the past years. Organizationally, the development
program at CSUSB is decentralized; all program-based development
officers report to their college dean, vice president or program
director. The absence of a chief advancement officer to coordinate
this decentralized model, serve as a mentor, and provide guidance
to deans and others who now are accountable for annual fund-raising
goals is apparent in the institution's fund-raising totals
for the past two years. Responding to this challenge, the
president has identified among his top priorities for 2003-04
to recruit a vice president for university advancement.
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