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 donor perspective; therefore, the study provides uncommon insight into these phenomena. Given that community colleges are experiencing significant decreases in public revenue, and seeking to offset the decline with private support, the inquiry is critical to guiding fundraising efforts of college leaders. Additionally, the study offers understanding of philanthropic support of a program serving immigrant students, providing insight into expanded resources for community colleges to sustain their pivotal mission of providing affordable and accessible education to diverse populations. The exploratory case study design answered the central research question: Based upon reflection of their personal volunteer and philanthropic narratives, and their experience with this campaign, how do the stakeholders perceive and understand their commitments of volunteerism and philanthropy to a campaign at one particular public community college? Qualitative interviews with 12 stakeholders--supplemented by a review of documents--provided in-depth understanding of their shared phenomena. Four major themes, "Heritage Philanthropic Narratives," "Association," "Harmonics," and "Loyalty" emerged from the study, as well as the critical interrelationship among them. A depiction developed of an interconnected array of aligned values and process concepts, illustrating the deep-seated relationship of the stakeholders to the foundation and the college. Although the "Association Theme" was central to the relationship among the themes, it appears no one theme stood alone; instead, the themes constituted a cohesive arrangement of complex behavior--an interrelated, self-nurturing, and recursive social eco-system. Hence, it is likely the system consisting of four principal themes may represent the nascent stage of a theory of volunteerism and philanthropy particular to community colleges. Additionally, since the values and processes embedded in the system align with those often seen in similar nonprofit organizations, the case study may be viewed not only as a pilot study for understanding volunteerism and philanthropy in community colleges, but also potentially for examining related topics within a broader spectrum of applications. The case study offers recommendations for future research and practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]