logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

Nonprofit Newswire | Colleges and Universities Start Preaching the Virtues of Giving Back (To Them) To Incoming Students

Bruce S Trachtenberg
August 27, 2010
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

 

August 26, 2010; Source: Associated Press | Colleges and universities are no longer waiting for their students to graduate and become alumni before turning them into givers. A growing number of schools are starting the courting practice during students’ freshman year.

Some take a modest approach, such as handing out piggy banks to collect spare change. But others, such as the University of Pennsylvania are more aggressive. The university has developed a four-year program that, according to the Associated Press, teaches “students the value of philanthropy as a civic virtue as well as the nuances of higher education funding.”

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Elise Betz, executive director of alumni relations, says the school is “unapologetically laying out expectations for their relationship with Penn. Before our students enter a classroom, they are given this message.” University of Michigan officials are so eager to start the cultivation process they don’t even wait until orientation. During campus tours, prospective Wolverines learn about the importance of private giving to keep the school strong and vital.

Part of the effort is to dispel the notion that state schools are funded exclusively with public dollars. The AP reports that, “state support of the school’s core academic functions hovers near 20 percent—nearly one-fourth the level of support provided by Michigan to its flagship university 50 years ago.”

Do these efforts work? For Penn, the answer is a resounding yes. In 2009, participation in Penn’s senior gift drive jumped to 71 percent from 18 percent in 2001—an amount nearly double the school’s alumni-giving rate. Let’s just hope that schools don’t get carried away and start asking on their applications how much they intend to give back if admitted.—Bruce Trachtenberg

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

Spring-2023-sidebar-subscribe
You might also like
Speak of An Angel and You’ll Hear Her Wings
Saphia Suarez
Ecuadorians Fight to Save the Rivers and Forests of the Amazon
Calen Otto
Creative Wildfire: Art for the Frontlines
Iris Crawford
Bailing Out Black Mamas: From Healing to Power
Isaiah Thompson
Can Worker Co-ops Create a Healthier Planet?
Meredith Degyansky
Black Business Group Aims to Narrow Racial Wealth Gap in Massachusetts
Steve Dubb

NPQ Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
June 14th, 2:00pm ET

Remaking the Economy

Race for Profit

Register Now
June 22nd, 12:30 pm ET

Making Co-CEOs Work

Insights from Leaders Sharing Leadership Successfully

Register Now
Group Created with Sketch.
July 12th, 2:00 pm ET

Remaking the Economy

Tenant Organizing in Unexpected Places

Register Now
You might also like
AOC’s “Tax the Rich” Dress Dazzles Met Gala, while...
Anastasia Reesa Tomkin
Foundation Giving Numbers for 2020 Show 15 Percent Increase
Steve Dubb
Strike MoMA Imagines Art Museums without Billionaires
Tessa Crisman

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

NPQ-Spring-2023-cover

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.