Colorado State University (CSU) announced Sunday that it set a fundraising record for its campaign year that ran from June 2011 to June 2012.
According to a report in The Rocky Mountain Collegian, CSU supporters donated $111.6 million during the university's latest fundraising campaign, up 31 percent from the year before. The 2011-2012 numbers signaled the end of a seven-year campaign that saw 924,000 donors give a total of $537.3 million. Sixty-eight individuals gave $1 million or more.
The money from the campaign will go directly toward scholarships and faculty development.
“We basically doubled fundraising in two years,” said Brett Anderson, vice president for university advancement, in a statement. “This puts us up there with the big, nationally-known universities.”
CSU is not the only school to put up impressive fundraising numbers. The University of Colorado system announced at the beginning of August that it raised a record-breaking $228.6 million in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. It was revealed that colleges and universities raised a collective $30 billion in charitable contributions last year, an increase of 4.8 percent from 2010. In addition, the increase in giving to top 20 schools was $1.12 billion, accounting for almost half of the increase to all schools ($2.3 billion). This information appeared in the May 1 issue of The NonProfit Times,
You can read the full story about CSU's fundraising in The Rocky Mountain Collegian.
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Morris Brown College To Face Foreclosure
Morris Brown College, one of the nation's oldest black colleges, has an uncertain future ahead as it faces foreclosure next month.
The Atlanta college has long struggled to remain open as it dealt with financial difficulties over the last decade. But now, according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the school is in trouble. Once boasting more than 3,000 students, enrollment is down to just 50. In the face of growing debt and shrinking support, it will go under foreclosure next month after investors called $13 million worth of bonds tied to the college.
An auction of all of Morris Brown's assets is scheduled for Sept. 4.
The bonds in question were issued by the Fulton County Development Authority in 1996. Atlanta was riding high times during this period, as cash from the Summer Olympics loomed. As security for the bonds, Morris Brown pledged pieces of its property, including the administration building. That is one of the key assets that will be up for auction on Sept. 4.
Hoping to stave off foreclosure, Preston W. Williams, chairman of the board of trustees of Morris Brown, is calling for a "National Day of Prayer" on Saturday and is calling for everyone associated with the school to donate money. The school is currently in the process of reorganizing and restructuring as well as trying to get accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.
The low point of Morris Brown's troubles came in 2006. After losing its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2003, and financial support from various other organizations, former school President Dolores Cross pleaded guilty to embezzling federal funds by applying for money on behalf of students without their consent. She was ordered to pay $13,942 to the government and was sentenced to five years of probation.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last July that Morris Brown owed more than $30 million to several creditors. The school also owed $9.9 million to the U.S. Department of Education, though it had raised $500,000 in attempt to settle that debt.
You can read the full story in AJC.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Nonprofit Sues California Over Teacher Tenure Laws
A nonprofit education group is suing the state of California over five laws they say protect ineffective teachers and lower school quality for poor children.
Los Angeles-based Student Matters filed the lawsuit today with the goal of getting the laws overturned, according to a report on KQED News. The laws in question set up a seniority system for public schools in the state.
According to the organization's website, Student Matters is "committed to ensuring that all of California’s children receive a quality education." It is run by David F. Welch, an executive at a Silicon Valley fiber-optic communications firm.
Josh Pechtalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers, said in a statement that the lawsuit is "misguided," and that the real problems of public education stem not from teachers, but from money.
"The real problems of public education really are not about teachers having due process rights," he said, "the problems have to do with massive cuts to the classroom, and frankly defunding of public schools now for a number of years."
You can read the full story on KQED's website.
Los Angeles-based Student Matters filed the lawsuit today with the goal of getting the laws overturned, according to a report on KQED News. The laws in question set up a seniority system for public schools in the state.
According to the organization's website, Student Matters is "committed to ensuring that all of California’s children receive a quality education." It is run by David F. Welch, an executive at a Silicon Valley fiber-optic communications firm.
Josh Pechtalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers, said in a statement that the lawsuit is "misguided," and that the real problems of public education stem not from teachers, but from money.
"The real problems of public education really are not about teachers having due process rights," he said, "the problems have to do with massive cuts to the classroom, and frankly defunding of public schools now for a number of years."
You can read the full story on KQED's website.
Friday, February 10, 2012
State Department Bans Nonprofit Over Guest-Worker Probe
The U.S. State Department has taken steps to ban a nonprofit group for two years from a cultural-exchange program. The announcement comes after the organization sent 400 foreign students to work at a Hershey Co. candy packaging plant last year.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, California-based CETUSA brought students, mostly from Ukraine and Turkey, to the U.S. on J-1 visas, which are used for cultural and educational exchange opportunities. In addition to their summer work, the students were to practice English and learn more about America. It turned out they had little time for either.
In August of last year, the students protested on Chocolate Avenue in Hershey, Pa., claiming they were forced to work long hours for low pay at the packaging plant, which left them with little time or resources to travel the country and interact with Americans. The State Department quickly began an investigation of the working conditions in Hershey. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also backed a top-down review of the J-1 program, which determined that CETUSA should be barred from participating further for the next two years.
The nonprofit is also involved in other J-1 exchange programs, and their eligibility for those are currently under review.
The J-1 program is meant to expose foreign students to the American lifestyle, and the State Department is likely to announce new regulations in the coming months to make sure this goal is realized. They want students to be working at jobs that allow them to interact with other Americans, not in hazardous or hard-labor occupations.
You can read the full story in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, California-based CETUSA brought students, mostly from Ukraine and Turkey, to the U.S. on J-1 visas, which are used for cultural and educational exchange opportunities. In addition to their summer work, the students were to practice English and learn more about America. It turned out they had little time for either.
In August of last year, the students protested on Chocolate Avenue in Hershey, Pa., claiming they were forced to work long hours for low pay at the packaging plant, which left them with little time or resources to travel the country and interact with Americans. The State Department quickly began an investigation of the working conditions in Hershey. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also backed a top-down review of the J-1 program, which determined that CETUSA should be barred from participating further for the next two years.
The nonprofit is also involved in other J-1 exchange programs, and their eligibility for those are currently under review.
The J-1 program is meant to expose foreign students to the American lifestyle, and the State Department is likely to announce new regulations in the coming months to make sure this goal is realized. They want students to be working at jobs that allow them to interact with other Americans, not in hazardous or hard-labor occupations.
You can read the full story in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
NJ Governor Signs Bill To Let Nonprofits Run Public Schools
Nonprofits will now be able to run failing public schools thanks to a new bill signed in New Jersey.
Business Weekly reported last week that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed The Urban Hope Act, which creates a 10-year pilot program that allows nonprofits to build and operate "renaissance schools" in Newark, Trenton, and Camden. Renaissance schools are similar to the charter school programs that have been running in New Jersey for more than a decade. While charters get reimbursed as much as 90 percent of the district's per-pupil costs, these new schools will get 95 percent. Organizations will be able to apply to local boards and then the state Education Department for up to four schools in each city.
This is the first education-related victory for Christie, a first-term Republican, after he declared 2011 "The year of education reform." The Governor and sponsoring Democrats say The Urban Hope Act will create choices for students who are stuck in districts with failing schools. The original version of the bill would have also allowed for-profit firms to run schools, but that measure didn't make it into the final bill.
The Urban Hope Act is part of a four-bill package that also includes a privately funded school-voucher program, among other reforms. Christie has vowed to renew debate on those measures later in 2012. Make sure to read the full article in Business Weekly.
Business Weekly reported last week that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed The Urban Hope Act, which creates a 10-year pilot program that allows nonprofits to build and operate "renaissance schools" in Newark, Trenton, and Camden. Renaissance schools are similar to the charter school programs that have been running in New Jersey for more than a decade. While charters get reimbursed as much as 90 percent of the district's per-pupil costs, these new schools will get 95 percent. Organizations will be able to apply to local boards and then the state Education Department for up to four schools in each city.
This is the first education-related victory for Christie, a first-term Republican, after he declared 2011 "The year of education reform." The Governor and sponsoring Democrats say The Urban Hope Act will create choices for students who are stuck in districts with failing schools. The original version of the bill would have also allowed for-profit firms to run schools, but that measure didn't make it into the final bill.
The Urban Hope Act is part of a four-bill package that also includes a privately funded school-voucher program, among other reforms. Christie has vowed to renew debate on those measures later in 2012. Make sure to read the full article in Business Weekly.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Private Donations For Public Schools
Most cities or towns have multiple public schools in their district. So is it right for one public school to receive an influx of private donations while others don't get as much?
That is the question raised in a recent article in The Los Angeles Times. The idea itself doesn't seem too controversial. If a group of parents want their students to enjoy higher quality learning, why shouldn't they donate money so they can buy things like new computers? The situation becomes fuzzier when you consider that there are schools in the same district that lack many of these same amenities.
The Times piece offers the case of the Santa Monica-Malibu United School District as the poster child for this discussion. PTA donations add up to more than $2,100 per student at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School in Malibu. McKinley Elementary in Santa Monica, on the other hand, gets only an average $96 per student in donations. Only 2% of the students at Point Dume are poor, and the school uses the money for, among other things, classroom aides, a reading program, and choral music. About 46% of the student population at McKinley is considered poor.
The drastic difference in donations between the two schools has sparked a debate in the district, where the school board is considering some changes. This includes creating a district-wide nonprofit that would collect donations for personnel and distribute them evenly amongst the schools. Donations for supplies would stay with individual schools. Under this system, half of the donations to Point Dume would be in the hands of the nonprofit.
Parents of children at wealthier schools argue that it's their money, and they should be able to do what they want with it. But, as the article mentions, California courts have continuously ruled that there must be an equal distribution to all public schools.
Read the full article in The Los Angeles Times, and chime in with your thoughts on the topic. For additional reading, check out this article from NPT about public school foundations.
That is the question raised in a recent article in The Los Angeles Times. The idea itself doesn't seem too controversial. If a group of parents want their students to enjoy higher quality learning, why shouldn't they donate money so they can buy things like new computers? The situation becomes fuzzier when you consider that there are schools in the same district that lack many of these same amenities.
The Times piece offers the case of the Santa Monica-Malibu United School District as the poster child for this discussion. PTA donations add up to more than $2,100 per student at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School in Malibu. McKinley Elementary in Santa Monica, on the other hand, gets only an average $96 per student in donations. Only 2% of the students at Point Dume are poor, and the school uses the money for, among other things, classroom aides, a reading program, and choral music. About 46% of the student population at McKinley is considered poor.
The drastic difference in donations between the two schools has sparked a debate in the district, where the school board is considering some changes. This includes creating a district-wide nonprofit that would collect donations for personnel and distribute them evenly amongst the schools. Donations for supplies would stay with individual schools. Under this system, half of the donations to Point Dume would be in the hands of the nonprofit.
Parents of children at wealthier schools argue that it's their money, and they should be able to do what they want with it. But, as the article mentions, California courts have continuously ruled that there must be an equal distribution to all public schools.
Read the full article in The Los Angeles Times, and chime in with your thoughts on the topic. For additional reading, check out this article from NPT about public school foundations.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Giving Graduates For Educational Institutions
Here's an article that appeared in one of the recent editions of NPT's Instant Fundraising newsletter:
Fundraisers at educational institutions estimate that donations during the academic year that ended June 30, 2011, increased by 4.7 percent compared to the previous year, according to survey results released today by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in Washington, D.C. They also predicted further growth of 5.5 percent for the academic year that began July 1, 2011.
The CASE Fundraising Index (CFI) is conducted twice annually -- once at the end of the academic year and once at the end of the calendar year. It asks fundraising professionals at U.S. schools, colleges and universities to estimate the level of charitable giving to their institutions for the 12-month period just ended and to predict the level for the 12-months ahead.
For academic year 2011, there was a significant difference between estimates offered by public and private institutions of higher education. Fundraisers at public colleges and universities estimated that giving to their institutions increased by 2.6 percent, while their private counterparts estimated that giving had increased 5.7 percent more than the previous year.
“The differences between estimated results for public and private institutions underscore an important point regarding the CFI,” said CASE President John Lippincott. “The figures we report are averages. Actual results will vary based on the particular circumstances of an institution, including governance structure, geography, maturity of the fundraising program, influence of a current fundraising campaign and the potential donor base.”
Said Lippincott: “That said, there is very good news in these figures.”
Donors are still deeply committed to the strong tradition of giving to education in this country even in the aftermath of the great recession, he said. “In fact, the predicted 5.5 percent increase for the coming academic year is remarkably close to the 20-year average annual increase of 5.6 percent. These promising figures also reinforce the value of staying the course when it comes to fundraising programs.”
Fundraisers at independent elementary and secondary schools in the survey were less optimistic than their higher education counterparts for academic year 2012, estimating 3.2 percent growth.
Lippincott said the CFI is intended to complement work being done by other organizations that provide detailed analyses of giving based on actual results reported several months after the close of the calendar or academic year.
“The CFI gives us a snapshot of the educational fundraising landscape,” Lippincott said. “It is intended to help fundraisers set preliminary benchmarks for their recent performance as well as expectations for their future performance.”
The CFI is based on an online survey of senior-level fundraising professionals at more than 2,100 member institutions in the United States conducted during the first two weeks of July. The July 2011 CFI survey had a response rate of 8.3 percent. The 20-year average growth rate for giving to education is based on the Council for Aid to Education’s annual Voluntary Support of Education survey.
Fundraisers at educational institutions estimate that donations during the academic year that ended June 30, 2011, increased by 4.7 percent compared to the previous year, according to survey results released today by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in Washington, D.C. They also predicted further growth of 5.5 percent for the academic year that began July 1, 2011.
The CASE Fundraising Index (CFI) is conducted twice annually -- once at the end of the academic year and once at the end of the calendar year. It asks fundraising professionals at U.S. schools, colleges and universities to estimate the level of charitable giving to their institutions for the 12-month period just ended and to predict the level for the 12-months ahead.
For academic year 2011, there was a significant difference between estimates offered by public and private institutions of higher education. Fundraisers at public colleges and universities estimated that giving to their institutions increased by 2.6 percent, while their private counterparts estimated that giving had increased 5.7 percent more than the previous year.
“The differences between estimated results for public and private institutions underscore an important point regarding the CFI,” said CASE President John Lippincott. “The figures we report are averages. Actual results will vary based on the particular circumstances of an institution, including governance structure, geography, maturity of the fundraising program, influence of a current fundraising campaign and the potential donor base.”
Said Lippincott: “That said, there is very good news in these figures.”
Donors are still deeply committed to the strong tradition of giving to education in this country even in the aftermath of the great recession, he said. “In fact, the predicted 5.5 percent increase for the coming academic year is remarkably close to the 20-year average annual increase of 5.6 percent. These promising figures also reinforce the value of staying the course when it comes to fundraising programs.”
Fundraisers at independent elementary and secondary schools in the survey were less optimistic than their higher education counterparts for academic year 2012, estimating 3.2 percent growth.
Lippincott said the CFI is intended to complement work being done by other organizations that provide detailed analyses of giving based on actual results reported several months after the close of the calendar or academic year.
“The CFI gives us a snapshot of the educational fundraising landscape,” Lippincott said. “It is intended to help fundraisers set preliminary benchmarks for their recent performance as well as expectations for their future performance.”
The CFI is based on an online survey of senior-level fundraising professionals at more than 2,100 member institutions in the United States conducted during the first two weeks of July. The July 2011 CFI survey had a response rate of 8.3 percent. The 20-year average growth rate for giving to education is based on the Council for Aid to Education’s annual Voluntary Support of Education survey.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Walton Family Foundation Pledges Money To Teach For America
School may be out for the summer, but Alice Cooper was wrong on one count: It's not out forever.
This is especially true when it comes to funding for educational organizations. As was reported on The NonProfit Times yesterday, the Walton Family Foundation (WFF) pledged $49.5 million to Teach For America (TfA). These funds will be distributed over a three-year period, with half of the money supporting TfA's goal of doubling the size of its teaching corps and assisting their network of alumni leaders in education. The other half will support ongoing training and professional development.
This is not the first time that WFF, which is headed by the three children of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, has helped out Teach For America. Since 1993, they have been the largest private donor to the organization at $22 million. This newest donation specifically targets areas in the Delta Region of Arkansas and Mississippi. There has been some speculation that the reason these areas were targeted is because Wal-Mart has recently expanded stores into those areas. Jim Blew, leader of K-12 Education Reform efforts for WFF, has strongly denied these charges in a telephone interview:
This is especially true when it comes to funding for educational organizations. As was reported on The NonProfit Times yesterday, the Walton Family Foundation (WFF) pledged $49.5 million to Teach For America (TfA). These funds will be distributed over a three-year period, with half of the money supporting TfA's goal of doubling the size of its teaching corps and assisting their network of alumni leaders in education. The other half will support ongoing training and professional development.
This is not the first time that WFF, which is headed by the three children of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, has helped out Teach For America. Since 1993, they have been the largest private donor to the organization at $22 million. This newest donation specifically targets areas in the Delta Region of Arkansas and Mississippi. There has been some speculation that the reason these areas were targeted is because Wal-Mart has recently expanded stores into those areas. Jim Blew, leader of K-12 Education Reform efforts for WFF, has strongly denied these charges in a telephone interview:
"That’s nonsense. We’ve been actively involved in these communities for several years now and we are interested in getting more teachers and looking for the leaders of tomorrow.”If you are interested in reading the full article, head on over to NPT's website.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
NPTtv Summary: Bates Tops List Of Most Expensive Colleges
Note: This is a summary of a story from the newest episode of The NonProfit Times TV.
Looking to spend a little more on colleges this year? Then these schools will be right up your ally.
The US Department of Education has released a list of the most expensive colleges in the country. Maine’s Bates College, with a price tag of $51,300, was named the priciest private, nonprofit college for 2009-2010. In comparison, the average price of tuition for a public university was under $6,400. Here are some other colleges on the list:
Looking to spend a little more on colleges this year? Then these schools will be right up your ally.
The US Department of Education has released a list of the most expensive colleges in the country. Maine’s Bates College, with a price tag of $51,300, was named the priciest private, nonprofit college for 2009-2010. In comparison, the average price of tuition for a public university was under $6,400. Here are some other colleges on the list:
- Connecticut College: $51,115
- Middlebury College, Vermont: $50,780
- Sarah Lawrence College, New York: $41,968
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Hack for Education: DonorsChoose.org Launches New Contest
Note: This is a summary of a story from the newest webcast of The NonProfit Times TV. To view the video of this story in full, follow the links in this post.
Hacking is always a bad thing, unless you ask the folks at DonorsChoose.org.
The online education charity, and one of Fast Company Magazine‘s top 50 most innovative companies, has launched a new contest for developers and data crunchers. The contest, called Hacking Education, calls for participants to develop apps that will improve education in America. Over the past ten years, more than 165,000 teachers at 43,000 public schools have posted 300,000 classroom project requests so presumably, the winning applications should help with this.
Judges for the contest include a who's who cast of famous names in education advocacy, as well as some big names in business. These include Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post, Wendy Kopp of Teach for America, venture capitalist Fred Wilson, and former NYC School’s Chancellor Joel Klein. And to top it all off, the grand prize winner will be presented by none other than Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert. So what are you waiting for, nonprofit techies? Start your programming!
Hacking is always a bad thing, unless you ask the folks at DonorsChoose.org.
The online education charity, and one of Fast Company Magazine‘s top 50 most innovative companies, has launched a new contest for developers and data crunchers. The contest, called Hacking Education, calls for participants to develop apps that will improve education in America. Over the past ten years, more than 165,000 teachers at 43,000 public schools have posted 300,000 classroom project requests so presumably, the winning applications should help with this.
Judges for the contest include a who's who cast of famous names in education advocacy, as well as some big names in business. These include Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post, Wendy Kopp of Teach for America, venture capitalist Fred Wilson, and former NYC School’s Chancellor Joel Klein. And to top it all off, the grand prize winner will be presented by none other than Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert. So what are you waiting for, nonprofit techies? Start your programming!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
NPTtv Summary: Madonna Sued By Charity's Former Employees
Maonna lives in a material world, and now it seems like some people want some of her material. The Pop star is being sued in by 8 people her charity, Raising Malawi, used to employ. The organization had planned to build a $15 million Academy for Girls in the country, but plans started to fall apart in the past year. As expected, a lot of money was lost because of the failed plans, and employees had to be let go as a result. And that brings us to the law suit the Queen of Pop is currently enduring.
According to the co-founder of the charity, little progress had been made on the project. In fact, no ground had even been broken, even after millions of dollars had been poured into it. The school was to be an important project for Madonna, as she had famously adopted two girls from Malawi, who were among millions of orphaned girls in the country. Malwi has a serious education problem, with 67% of girls there not attending secondary school, so the school would have probably been a huge boon to the population there.
According to the co-founder of the charity, little progress had been made on the project. In fact, no ground had even been broken, even after millions of dollars had been poured into it. The school was to be an important project for Madonna, as she had famously adopted two girls from Malawi, who were among millions of orphaned girls in the country. Malwi has a serious education problem, with 67% of girls there not attending secondary school, so the school would have probably been a huge boon to the population there.
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