Education
October 28, 2015 at 9:52 am
Joan Weill, the wife of billionaire Sanford Weill, has inscribed herself in stone as one of the greatest, most insensitive egos in today’s philanthropic world. She recently pledged $20 million to financially struggling Paul Smith’s College in northern New York, located in the heart of the Adirondacks. Her only condition was that the institution, created…
October 28, 2015 at 9:42 am
As a fundraiser, I’ve been to my fair share of fundraising parties, often hosted by a board member, donor or volunteer. While these events can be a fantastic way to connect and meet new potential major donors, I typically find them to be awkward, stiff and sometimes a little too heavy on the wine. Recently,…
October 27, 2015 at 10:40 am
Wellesley College in Massachusetts has announced a $50 million gift from two alumnae who wish to remain anonymous in support of a campus-wide initiative aimed at creating greater opportunity for women and empowering the next generation of women leaders. The gift launches a $500 million fundraising campaign—the largest ever undertaken by a women's college—and will…
October 26, 2015 at 10:30 am
Brown University has formally undertaken what it calls the largest comprehensive fundraising push in the Ivy League school's history. The $3 billion "BrownTogether" campaign began Oct. 23, during a celebration at Pembroke Field. The university says the campaign will support education and research, campus infrastructure and student life. Brown president Christina Paxson says the fundraising…
October 26, 2015 at 10:19 am
A group of Democrats in the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen, urging them to stop for-profit colleges from converting to nonprofit status. Those colleges, they argue, are looking to evade federal income taxes, gainful employment regulations and the so-called 90/10 rule, which restricts…
October 19, 2015 at 10:39 am
Mark Noltner, who lives in suburban Chicago, heard about McTeacher's Nights when he found a flier in his daughter's backpack last year. "There was a picture of Ronald McDonald [on the flier]," he says, and it was promoting the school fundraiser at a local McDonald's. During McTeacher's Nights, teachers stand behind the counter at McDonald's,…
October 19, 2015 at 10:35 am
The University of Wisconsin-Madison launched its most ambitious fundraising campaign ever on Thursday night, asking alumni and other supporters to step into the breach during a time of unprecedented pressure to cut costs and find fresh sources of revenue. The $3.2 billion fund drive comes as the state's flagship public university grapples with an $86…
October 15, 2015 at 9:45 am
A man who promised Virginia Tech a $30 million donation has been sentenced to prison for wire fraud and money laundering. The Washington Post reports that Phillip Barnard was sentenced to five years and three months in prison Tuesday in federal court. Barnard pleaded guilty earlier this year. Prosecutors said Barnard never had any legitimate…
October 12, 2015 at 10:30 am
Purdue University wants to know if its alumni are "ever true." A $2 billion fundraising campaign to support students, faculty, academic programs and facilities is underway at Purdue, the university announced at a private ceremony Friday during the President's Council. "Ever True: The Campaign for Purdue University" started its silent phase in 2012 and will…
October 12, 2015 at 10:25 am
If newspapers are having trouble turning a profit without deep annual cuts, how about becoming a nonprofit? That question’s been asked a lot over the last decade of print decline—even though it glides past the fact that nonprofits need revenue and a business model just as much as for-profits do. The latest possibility to be…
