This study explored the drivers for Long Beach City College alumni, a 2-year California community college (CCC), to engage with and donate to their alma mater. Due to the widespread decline in enrollment post-COVID-19 pandemic, institutions face increasing financial insecurity. They must now explore new funding streams. By modeling the success of…

With community colleges struggling with the completion rates of their students, it is important to understand the social and academic integration of community college students and their relationships to retention and completion. Research focuses on the critical role of internal college actors such as faculty, staff, and students in these…

Modest inquiry exists to elucidate why donors make large contributions to community colleges. Of every charitable dollar donated to education, two-year colleges receive 2 to 4 cents. This grounded theory study included 30 major donors to 23 colleges in 18 states. The questions were comprehensive: why donors and how donors make major gifts;…

Kelly (1991, 1998) theoretically grounded fundraising within the paradigm of public relations. The Internet can potentially help nonprofit organizations boost their volunteer, donor, and fundraising opportunities through effective website management (Kang & Norton, 2004). The work of Kent and Taylor (1998, 2002) and others provides fertile…

In 2011, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) founded the Center for Community College Advancement to provide training and resources to help community colleges build and sustain effective fundraising, alumni relations, and communications and marketing programs. A goal for the center is to collect data on best practices at…

At Northeast State Community College (NeSCC) nearly 70% of students need some form of financial aid to attend. State support is flattening or decreasing and the gap is filled by private donors' support (Northeast State Community College, 2011). Hundreds of donors have made significant contributions to aid in the education of those in the Northeast…

This descriptive study surveyed current, lapsed, and major gift donors to explore the impact of college communications on donors' decisions to contribute to the college, the likelihood of donor financial support for various college projects, and the philanthropic motivation profiles of the donors of a midsized, multicampus community college in…

Community colleges are enjoying a rare moment in the limelight right now. But part of what is being revealed by that light is just how much scrambling two-year institutions must do to keep up with increasing demands and decreasing budgets. With the recession sending many laid-off workers back to school for job retraining, and with President Barack…

The case study engaged selected stakeholders who explored their perceptions and understanding of why they made significant commitments of volunteerism and philanthropy to a capital campaign at one public community college, and the particular factors that influenced their decisions. A paucity of inquiries examines this topic from the volunteer or…

This "Trends in College Spending" update presents national-level estimates for the "Delta Cost Project" data metrics during the period 2001-11. To accelerate the release of more current trend data, however, this update includes only a brief summary of the financial patterns and trends observed during the decade 2001-11, with…

Community colleges are facing record enrollments and declining state and local funding, and many leaders of these institutions see increasing private support as critical for colleges. In 2010 the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) conducted a national survey of community college foundations. The survey, drafted with the…

Pressured by constricting state appropriations and ever-increasing financial demands, the nation's community colleges are ratcheting up fundraising efforts to attract new donors. Many are finding success. Honolulu Community College in Hawaii, for example, recently received an estate gift of $3.5 million. Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico…

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…

Community colleges have an opportunity to engage in institutional advancement while conveying a timely and inspiring message, but the collective voice of the institution needs to be focused and clear. As a result, community colleges need to carefully evaluate their mission, public image, financial needs, and donor base in order to identify a…