How far down a vice chancellor’s in-tray does philanthropy sit these days? Is it the “icing on the cherry on the cake” for universities – or a baked-in ingredient of the cake itself?
Giving to universities is not, as some assume, an American invention. It has a long and honourable tradition in this country – the earliest gift we have found was in 1284, a donation of 50 marks to the University of Cambridge “for the support of poor students.” Most universities are, after all, charities.
A decade ago, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) commissioned More Partnership, under the leadership of Shirley Pearce, to produce a status report on fundraising in UK higher education. That report showed that giving to universities was accelerating in volume and impact, in step with increasing investment and expertise among professional staff.
And it was not just the preserve of the ancient and elite institutions. Pearce’s number one recommendation was that all institutions should develop advancement plans – including fundraising, alumni relations and communications activities – based on a clear understanding of their own distinctiveness, goals and particular opportunities. The report concluded with a series of ambitious predictions for the decade ahead. But how have they stood the test of the ten distinctly unpredictable years that followed?
