Black colleges' creative fundraising

By Shola Adenekan

Black colleges are marketing themselves more aggressively

In the United States, black colleges are changing their marketing strategies and finding creative ways to raise much-needed funds.

People living across the Potomac and further afield in Maryland and Virginia are getting an eyeful of Washington DC-based Howard University.

Patrick Swygert, the university's president and actor Ossie Davis are using Howard's WHUT-TV to promote "The Campaign For Howard".

The $250 million campaign - the biggest ever of any black institution - has already garnered supports from political heavyweights like Collin Powell, Hillary Clinton and Vernon Jordan Jr.

"Tuition, gifts from corporations, foundations and individuals, and federal support are the principal sources of revenue for Howard University," says a spokeswoman.

"The university's agenda anticipates building stronger strategic partnerships with corporations and foundations. Federal support has been consistently strong, but it alone cannot ensure the university's future excellence."

'Access'

"The university is committed to access as well as excellence and, although we have made every effort to keep tuition as low as possible, the vast majority of our students demonstrate a need for financial aid.

"Closing this gap will require significant new private support from corporations, foundations and individuals."

Other schools are running comic strips and mounting giant billboard adverts - part of a nationwide trend that has seen black colleges using unconventional and aggressive strategies to entice fee-paying students and campaign for cash.

Steve Owens, a deputy director at the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education - the umbrella organisation for black colleges and universities- believes black colleges are becoming creative because funds are becoming limited.

"The colleges must therefore develop and maintain a competitive edge that makes them unique and stand out among other universities."

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University - a leading black institution with a reputable engineering faculty - is running comic strips on the front page of a local newspaper in order to attract students and raise awareness for its $100m fund-raising campaign.

'Self-reliant'

"Money-wise, it is clear that the government cannot be depended upon," says Michael M Magoon, associate vice-chancellor, development and university relations.

"It's clear we must be self-reliant, and it is also clear that fund raising is central to our future success."

Mr Magoon says the comic strip allows for colourful "sound bites in print" that touch all groups.

"The comic strip highlights our website address which so many young people use. Also, it has afforded us the opportunity to promote our $100m campaign."

"We are looking at corporate support from both the charitable and marketing sides. Essentially we want to answer the question 'What's in it for me?' for these companies before they ask."

Debt

Colleges say they are trying to avoid the fate that befell Morris Brown College - one of America's oldest historically black colleges - whose accreditation was recently withdrawn due to massive debt.

"The success of black institutions is dependent on a number of factors," says Terence Boyd, vice-chancellor for institutional advancement at Elizabeth City State University.

"The ability to recruit and retain students and the ability to recruit and retain faculty. Successful fundraising provides the resources to turn these potential failures into successes."

Meanwhile, UK universities are not in a rush to copy the new fund-raising fads at US black colleges.

"Our approach will still be conventional," says a spokesman for Oxford University's fund-raising team.

Joanna Storrar, the acting director, development and alumni at Edinburgh University agrees.

"Our strategy is a straight forward, direct process," she says.

"Paradoxically, fundraising is not primarily about money. It is mainly about things that are close to people's hearts, for example, helping people with particular medical conditions."

"Or it might be ensuring that talented students get opportunities to study at one of the world's great universities, or supporting the department where a particular inspiring lecturer made a difference to someone's intellectual development."

"If we can find opportunities for people to become involved in what they are most interested in, financial commitment is really a natural response."