Questions, comments, and suggestions about fund raising are always interesting to me. They range from questions like the one President Emeritus Steve Morgan says he was once asked in a faculty meeting, “Have you ever thought of asking alumni for money?” to the suggestion we “fund raise” instead of raising tuition, and “look for real … Read More

The editor of the Campus Times first learns the identity of the next president of La Verne on Twitter. Two thousand alumni are friends or fans of Leo La Verne or University of La Verne Alumni on Facebook. Administrators skim headlines from national education organizations on Twitter. Several alumni groups connect on LinkedIn. Students, faculty, … Read More

Members of the campus community have asked, “Why was additional budget allocated to Advancement for next fiscal year?” “What will the money be used for?” “What results can we expect?” The Trustees have acknowledged that La Verne has historically underinvested in Advancement, and at their meeting April 15th, they approved a university budget that includes … Read More

The audience erupted in laughter when leadership expert Warren Bennis said in a public lecture at La Verne that he used to think fund raising was an unnatural act. Then he spoke with admiration about how he eventually learned to appreciate the fund raising skill of former USC President Steven Sample, and what he did … Read More

Fund Raising Outlook for 2011 Nationally, there are indicators that the outlook for private gifts to higher education looks more promising in 2011 than in 2010. Yet commentaries and predictions are still somewhat mixed, and there are also signs of a possible generational shift, at least among mega-donors, away from higher education to other causes.  … Read More

So much has been written on Haiti’s tragic history, and on the catastrophic magnitude 7 earthquake that struck January 12 of 2010, that it is daunting to consider additional comments when I am not an expert on Haiti. Like many others, I was shocked, horrified, and desired to help after the 2010 earthquake. Faculty, staff, … Read More

We often hear this claim from alumni, most often from people who have not yet become donors! Whether you are on La Verne’s alumni mailing list or that of KCET, the L.A. Mission, the Humane Society or any of thousands of other not-for-profits, it may sometimes seem as though the only time you hear from … Read More

On November 1st, I blogged about “What do Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have to say to me?”  These two phenomenally wealthy philanthropists had announced last summer their plan to ask all the billionaires in America to pledge to donate half their wealth to charity, either during their lifetimes or at their death. Last Friday … Read More

In recent years, foundation grants to La Verne have funded science equipment, labs, technology for the Campus Center, construction of the Campus Center, renovation of the Pavilion and Auditorium, scholarships, the Literacy Center, the Afghanistan Symposium of the College of Law, a new field research vehicle for the Natural Sciences, the REACH and STEM summer … Read More