POV: Now Is the Time for Collaboration Between Community Colleges, Philanthropists

I read with great interest the Community College Week story published on Dec. 15, reporting on philanthropic organizations’ increased interest in the community college sector. As the president of a statewide foundation that supports community colleges through securing grants and other private funding to benefit our educational system, I am encouraged by the efforts of those in the philanthropic sector who are realizing the very real economic and societal benefits community colleges have on America.

A recent gift to the California Community Colleges System by philanthropist Bernard Osher is an example of this remarkable pendulum shift. Last May, the Bernard Osher Foundation pledged the largest-ever gift to a community college system. Half of it, $25 million, will support about 1,250 scholarships for California community college students. Another $25 million will go to California community colleges on a two-to-one basis: for every $2 raised by the system, the Osher Foundation will donate $1. In addition, the foundation has challenged other supporters and philanthropists to follow its lead and offer more financial support to community colleges.

Such gifts send a strong message that community colleges and their students are worthy of private investment, marking a new era in philanthropic giving to community colleges. And given today’s economic climate, it is perhaps more evident than at any other time in our history that community colleges need to diversify their funding and ensure that the vagaries of state budgets and politics no longer have such a dramatic impact on community college campuses. Community colleges need sustainable support incorporating more philanthropic dollars to supplement the public funding that comes often only at the whim of the electorate.  

As we in California and elsewhere face another year of drastic budget cuts and financial uncertainties in 2009, I hope that colleges and their foundations will agree that now is the time to act when it comes to raising private dollars for our colleges.   

In spite of — or perhaps even because of — the economic downtown, America’s community colleges have the distinct advantage of a powerful message. They are a linchpin in the economic recovery of our states and our nation, and are the most important investment a donor or funder can make to impact our nation’s workforce and economy in a positive way.  

Community colleges educate half the undergraduates in America, and provide accessible, affordable education to many who are unable to get higher education elsewhere. They provide workforce training, basic skills education, preparation for students transferring to four-year universities and opportunities for personal enrichment and lifelong learning.  

The need to increase support of community colleges has never been greater. With more students, increasing demand and greater challenges in meeting the needs of both students and accrediting agencies, it can be difficult for community colleges to accomplish all of their diverse missions. Yet they do so while providing accessible and affordable education to millions of Americans every year.  

Community colleges themselves can build upon momentum generated by such organizations as Osher Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Taking key steps now will enable them to foster partnerships that can build scholarship, operating and faculty endowments and begin to provide long-term viability and stability. That strategy requires pursuing broad-based support from both industry and alumni.

First, community colleges must recognize the need for resource development staff. An example of the direct correlation between fundraising staff and increased resources can be seen in four-year public institutions. Many of them, until about 20 years ago, didn’t need to focus so much on raising private dollars. But that has changed.

Among the 10 public research universities that raised the most private donations in 2007, most had expanded their fund-raising staffs by at least 25 percent in five years, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. 

Second, community colleges need to better engage their alumni. While four-year universities routinely emphasize alumni relations, community colleges are traditionally not as strong in that area.

In California, we have launched a statewide alumni outreach effort in order to cut costs for individual colleges. With an alumni magazine, web site and various marketing tools for member colleges, we as a system can help our colleges tell impactful stories about and to their alumni.   

Perhaps most importantly, community colleges need to communicate a unified message. While many offer unique programs and services, all are a steppingstone to a brighter future for those who would not otherwise be able to afford a college education. That is a powerful message to convey to potential supporters.  

It is important for community colleges across the nation to hone their messages and dedicate resources to telling their stories.

The pendulum has indeed begun to swing.

It is our time to collaborate with philanthropists who truly want to change the world one student at a time.

By Paul I. Lanning
President and CEO
Foundation for California Community Colleges

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