The Concerns Keeping Community College Leaders Up At Night

Declining enrollment, high dropout rates, and decreased state funding are creating a perfect storm of economic challenges that are alarming to community college leaders across the country. Since 2021 community college enrollment has fallen by more than 1 million students and 40% of all community college students drop out after their first year. Many community […]

Lessons in Fundraising for Challenging Times

Fundraising in Tough Times

A large majority of the nonprofit world was not prepared for the cataclysmic economic downturn of 2008. Terms like “underwater endowments” and “individualized stewardship plans” were new concepts for many. In 2008, I was in the middle of a $16 million capital campaign at a college in Western Massachusetts. I learned six key strategies that […]

4 Quick & Easy Ways to Increase Your Board’s Fundraising Impact in 2019

4 Quick & Easy Ways to Increase Your Board's Fundraising Impact

How to Increase Your Board’s Fundraising Impact My favorite question to ask when leading a board retreat is, “How many of you like asking for money?” Usually, only one or two hands go up. My second favorite question, as an immediate follow-up, is, “How many of you are passionate about this organization and would do anything […]

A Promising Year Ahead for Community College Fundraising

2017 - 2018

In December I reached out to community college leaders across the country to ask, “What are the next big trends in the world of community college fundraising?” While some speculated about the ways social media could become a stronger fundraising tool, others focused on how changes to the strategic planning process could be made to […]

Two Coasts – Two Conferences – One Message

Funding Insights Blog: Community College Conferences

Change: A Trending Theme of Nonprofit Conferences According to noted Psychiatrist, RD Laing, “…change is so sped up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.” Earlier this month I attended two conferences focused on the future of Community Colleges, one in Tampa – one in Anaheim…The consistent message: Change […]

Top 5 Emerging Community College Trends

top 5 emerging trends community college economic development

This year marked the 97th anniversary of the American Association of Community College’s Annual Convention. I’ve been fortunate to attend this event every year for the last ten years. I’ve even had the honor of presenting several times. This year’s convention theme, “Community Colleges: America’s North Star,” was a particularly interesting one to me.