Volunteers, donors, and other partners with shared objectives will rise to the occasion, but they will need more information, more engagement, and more support than ever.

There has never been a clearer case tor philanthropic partnership with higher education, in my lifetime, than the case that can and must be made today. At the same time, awareness of the need for that support is greater than ever—alumni/ parents, and other stakeholders are reading about it every week. "A few years ago, we made an eight-figure pledge to support a large and innovative scholarship program," one donor couple recently told me. "This summer, recognizing that the need for this support is greater than ever—both for the university and for students—we decided, without anyone asking, to substantially accelerate the gift." Generous individuals will rise to meet the need, as will foundation, corporate, and other institutional partners with shared objectives.

"Philanthropic partners have played a critical role at The George Washington University, from the very founding of the university," says university president Ellen Granberg. "Over time, fundraising revenue, along with strategic investments by foundation and corporate partners, have become a larger part of our revenue mix, and we expect that growth to continue. Even as we must all be careful stewards of our financial resources, we recognize that investments in advancement are a critically important investment in one of our most important revenue centers."

Higher education is facing new challenges. Some are resulting in substantial shifts in revenue streams, and some of these changes will be long-term. The demand for fundraising revenue and new revenue streams will increase. Donors and other potential partners will depend on guidance from board members and other volunteer leaders who are knowledgeable about institutional needs and priorities; presidents and academic leaders who are clear about vision, strategy, and planning; and advancement professionals who are prepared to support institutional leaders and potential donors and partners by providing information and engagement opportunities that will inspire belief and confidence in the future of the institution and the possible impact of financial support. Now is the time to invest in advancement.

In the middle of the 19th century, Alexis de Tocqueville observed, in one of the most influential books on democracy, Democracy in America, that "Wherever at the head of some new undertaking you see the government in France, or a man of rank in England, in the IJnited States you will be sure to find an association...l have often admired the extreme skill with which the inhabitants of the United States succeed in proposing a common object for the exertions of a great many men and in inducing them voluntarily to pursue it."

He went on to say, "Nothing, in my opinion, is more deserving of our attention than the intellectual and moral associations of America. In democratic countries, the science of association is the mother of science; the progress of all the rest depends upon the progress it has made...lf men are to remain civilized or to become so, the art of associating together must grow and improve. "

We are blessed, in this country, with a long and strong tradition of volunteerism and philanthropy.

Motivated by family, by faith, by gratitude, and/or simply by this national tradition and the example of other citizens, Americans give generously of their time, talent, and financial resources to make their communities better places to live.

Philanthropy is resilient in the face of economic and other challenges—such as 9/1 1 and COVID-19— precisely because those who are generous with their time and treasure recognize the increased importance of their generosity in turbulent times. Despite enormous economic uncertainty during the recent global pandemic, for example, giving surged, as philanthropic individuals and institutions—whether giving $5 or $500 million, rose to meet the needs of their local, national, and even global communities. Though that surge was followed by smaller increases for a couple of years, growth in giving has continued to outpace inflation.

Focusing specifically on education, growth in giving significantly outpaced inflation over the past six years. Giving to education increased from $58.7 billion in 2018 to $88.3 billion in 2024 ($58.7 billion in 2018, adjusted for inflation, is the equivalent of $73.8 billion). According to Giving USA, giving to education grew in 2024 by 13.2% in current dollars over 2023, far ahead of inflation. Within the larger education sector, according to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's CASE Insights on Voluntary Support of Education 2023-2024 report, philanthropic contributions to higher education increased by 3% when adjusted for inflation. As Sue Cunningham, President and CEO of CASE, wrote in the report, "Philanthropy remains essential to the success and sustainability of higher education. The consistent generosity of donors reflects a collective belief in the transformative power of education and its ability to create a more prosperous society." Now is the time to invest in advancement.

In my 2015 book, Belief and Confidence, I quoted one of the most generous and passionate donors to higher education I have ever met, Dennis Keller. "The best way, that has the happiest reverberations for philanthropists and organizations, is to encourage deep engagement through which philanthropists figure out what they want to do based on their core beliefs and informed desires to help."

In 2020, as the whole world was reeling from the pandemic, we were sanitizing our groceries and fearing for our lives and the lives of our loved onesj and global markets were highly volatile, most nonprofit organizations halted fundraising efforts. They misunderstood philanthropy and philanthropists. It is of course true that fundraising does better when markets are strong and stable. But philanthropy is fundamentally about pooling resources with like-minded people to support the organizations most important in one's life. I led a webinar, in the middle of 2020, interviewing several leading philanthropists, and wrote an article summarizing our discussion. "Now is not the time to cut back on giving," said one donor. "Experienced philanthropists are committed to organizations they have long supported and will continue that support, even if adjustments are required. They also recognize that emergencies arise that require immediate help. The desire to help with the resources we have is in our DNA." Another added, "There will be a crushing impact on a wide range of organizations that are vital to the health of our communities, and we cannot overlook their needs. We do not expect to decrease our support of organizations counting on our help; more likely we will find ways to increase our giving. Anything we can doj we will do." In response to a question about what fundraisers should do, one donor summed it up: "Don't panic and have faith. Be sensitive to your donors and not aggressive—everyone is adjusting to a new reality. We have witnessed friends become even more generous in the past weeks. And those who cannot afford to give money are doing other things, such as shopping for those who cannot leave their homes, purchasing from local businesses, or shipping dorm room items home. This virus may keep us six feet apart, but our hearts have gotten closer. People want to help and will find ways to do so." While most scaled back, some institutions invested in advancement during the pandemic, and many of these experienced record fundraising results.

Today, some are saying that changes to the tax law will cause donors to cut back on their giving. I

appreciate arguments to preserve the charitable deduction and provide as much incentive as possible—this is one way that we the people support the entire nonprofit sector. But I do not agree with the conclusion that philanthropic people will scale back simply because of changes in the tax law. Many studies have shown that tax considerations are extremely low among factors affecting a donor's decision to make a major gift. And we would do well to remember that the charitable deduction has only been a part of tax law since 1 917. Charitable giving was alive and well long before 1911—think of all the colleges and universities founded on philanthropy in the 19th century. The University of Chicago, for example, was founded in 1890 through a challenge gift from John D. Rockefeller, challenging others to match his giving and establish the university. Tocqueville's observations mentioned above were made in the mid-1 800s. And Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth was written almost 30 years before the charitable deduction existed.

Beyond charitable giving from existing stakeholders, a variety of revenue streams can be unlocked by creative advancement work, including philanthropic partnership from individuals, families, and foundations with shared objectives for impact on society, and partnerships with corporations that have aligned objectives and interests. Some universities have already established departments within their advancement divisions entirely focused on partnership with previously unaffiliated donors and philanthropic investors. More are sure to follow.

"Revenue streams in higher education are always evolving, and they combine in different ways according to the focus of the work," says Farnam Jahaniam President of Carnegie Mellon University. "Creative advancement leaders adapt to shifting as well as emerging strategic priorities on the part of foundations, corporationsj government, and individuals, believing that all of the work we do is important to the advancement of society, and confident that there will be donors and other partners for each and every strategic undertaking."

Now is the time to invest in advancement. Volunteers, donors, and other partners with shared objectives will rise to the occasion, but they will need more information, more engagement, and more support than ever, to "figure out what they want to do based on their core beliefs and informed desires to help."

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