​Frank Dixon is the type of donor that every community college wants: a long-time benefactor who serves on the local community college foundation's board of directors and is a vocal advocate for using two-year colleges to transform local economies.

Dixon’s relationship with Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) in Pennsylvania started more than 20 years ago. That’s when he sold an abandoned department store he owned so it could be developed into a college. Dixon envisioned the new college could help the community dig out from a nearly 18-percent unemployment rate through workforce development programs to attract new businesses to the area. He also donated $200,000 to establish a scholarship fund.

Dixon has continued to support the college. In 2009, he donated $1 million toward scholarships for students attending the college’s Lebanon Campus. Last December, he donated another $250,000 to develop programs at the same campus.

Supporters such as Dixon are increasing among community college donors, said Polly Binns, executive director of the Council for Resource Development, an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). It’s especially critical as state and local funding for community colleges has decreased steadily over the years. Given the economic climate, public funding won’t soon return to previous levels—if at all.

“Because community colleges are doing what they say they’re going to do, philanthropists are looking closer to home,” Binns said. “Donors see that their gifts (to community colleges) have a direct impact on the quality of life in the region. Because 80 percent of alumni live within a 25-mile radius of the campus where they graduated, donors see a direct impact of their gifts.”

Affordability, accessibility and responsiveness to community needs are often cited as reasons for favorable impressions regarding community colleges, according to the Clements Group, a resource development and institutional advancement consulting firm that specializes in helping community colleges.

Understand their passion

Successful fundraising depends on developing relationships with individuals and understanding the passions of potential donors, according to college officials. Last month, the Kellogg Community College (KCC) Foundation in Michigan received a $525,000 donation from local resident and veteran educator Virginia Hensley. The money will go toward student scholarships.

“Virginia’s passion is education, and she feels very strongly that, whenever possible, high-achieving students should be given every opportunity to continue their studies,” said KCC Foundation Executive Director Ginger Cutsinger.

Earlier this month, California resident Mary Barton Akeley Smith (who grew up in Maine) donated $5 million to Northern Maine Community College, which will provide the bulk of the $6 million needed to renovate two facilities at the college. Last year, Smith donated $1.2 million to the college’s alternative energy program. 

Sometimes a passing comment can unveil an interest. At North Central Missouri College, potential donor Marjorie Whan mentioned to the college’s director of development the impact that an attractive campus can have on the elderly and disabled. With this in mind, a new parking lot at the college’s community center was built with better lighting and increased accessibility. The Whan family contributed more than $300,000 for those upgrades. Last year, the family donated $217,000 toward the college’s Barton Farm Campus.

Donors often have a link to a college. They are typically alumni, parents, employers and even employees of the college. Last year, Mott Community College (Michigan) received a $10,000 donation from John Krupp, an alumni and board member of the college’s foundation, to help students studying accounting. Patrick Henry Community College (Virginia) received a bequest of more than $550,000 from an alumnus who loved to travel to help students study abroad. In Illinois, the Elgin Community College (ECC) Foundation received a $495,821 gift from the estate of a former ECC professor to assist students majoring in American history.

Seeing the results

Although colleges are increasingly receiving private donations through estates and bequests, a growing number of people are opting to donate now to see how their financial donations are helping the college and its students.

Amarillo College in Texas last month announced it will receive a $3-million gift from a retired educator and rancher to help build a new campus. Local officials noted that it not only means more space to accommodate an increasing number of students, but it also means jobs.

“Our farmers and ranchers have not had a positive year and are looking at a tough winter,” said Bob Josserand, mayor of Hereford, Texas, where the new campus will be built. “This is the kind of economic boost that can lift an entire community.”

There is increased interest in donors wanting to make a difference while they are alive, said Cutsinger of the KCC Foundation. 

“They want to meet the students,” she said. “That is what really encourages the donors.”

An annual dinner to thank donors for their gifts to fund student scholarships is often the best way to bring students and benefactors together, she said. During her foundation’s dinner, guests briefly hear from three to four students receiving scholarships through the foundation.

“It’s just the students talking from their hearts,” Cutsinger said.

Highlight the benefits

Kathleen Schatzberg, president of Cape Cod Community College (CCCC) in Massachusetts, said she focuses mainly on people who benefit from her college, from students to employers and local residents. Her college’s service area has many seasonal residents, many of whom are retired. She noted that these residents readily donate to the local symphony and hospital—whose services they use—but they often don’t consider who trains people for those jobs. She also tells donors how the college improves people’s lives and notes students' personal stories.

“It’s our job to convince them that what we do impacts their life when they’re here,” said Schatzberg, who has helped the college secure three gifts of more than $1 million over her tenure as president. “The most successful fundraiser communicates that with passion.”

Last month, CCCC received its largest gift—$1.25 million—from long-time supporter Maureen Wilkens. The funds will go toward the college’s $2.5-million fundraising campaign to renovate its dental hygiene facilities. The donation was presented as a challenge match to the community. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank subsequently donated $250,000.

All hands on deck

CCCC is also tapping its current and former trustees to help with the campaign, as well as local dentists. Dr. Robert Faiella, a dentist who is president-elect of the American Dental Association, and dentist Dr. Neil Ringler, a former CCCC trustee, are serving as honorary campaign co-chairs with Wilkens. Part of their goal is to encourage their colleagues to get involved. Four of the five hygienists in Ringler’s practice are CCCC graduates, and the fifth person teaches at the college.

The team approach at CCCC is part of a fundraising strategy that includes presidents, trustees, students, faculty and staff. It's one that other community colleges also use successfully.

“Everybody associated with the college is a fundraiser,” said HACC President John “Ski” Sygielski, who spends much of his time with current and prospective donors.

With current donors, he makes sure they understand how the college is using their money. For prospective donors—who include alumni, previous donors and local business leaders—Sygielski outlines the college’s role in the community and what its needs are to fulfill that role.

"We have to be out there much more in the community," Sygielski said. "That is the new fundraising model for any college."