Shared Interests
CURRENTS Article As shrinking budgets continue to put pressure on development offices, institutions are looking to expand public-private partnerships as a way to generate support. This article explores the benefits of P3s for institutions, businesses, and the surrounding community.

Odds and Ends: Through the Gates
CURRENTS Article In this interview with CURRENTS, Hilary Pennington of the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation offers advice for institutions seeking funding and discusses the Gates Foundation's particular interest in community colleges.

Precision and Patience
CURRENTS Article Faced with declining assets and profits, many foundations and corporations have had to trim their philanthropic budgets—at the very time that educational institutions (and thousands of other nonprofit organizations) are seeking more dollars to fill the void left by the recession. This article discusses the resulting changes in the realm of corporate and foundation giving and what strategies educational institutions should use as they try to secure funding.

The New Visionaries
CURRENTS Article The new social entrepreneurial foundations have high ideals and deep pockets, but few of them have any connections to educational institutions. The author offers strategies for building relationships with these new players in philanthropy.

The Campus Connection
CURRENTS Article The nonprofit organization Ashoka is partnering with four universities: Maryland, Cornell, George Mason, and Johns Hopkins. The purpose is to encourage and develop social entrepreneurship on campus.

Postcard from Puebla
CURRENTS Article When an institution in Mexico needs to find the correct way to begin an annual giving program, they discover their answers in corporate sponsorships of scholarships.

Big Pond, Small Fish
CURRENTS Article Large foundations are casting about for community colleges so their gifts will have a bigger impact. A parallel trend is two-year institutions creating their own educational foundations. The combination means greater funds for education improvement, research, and more.

Taken for Granted
CURRENTS Article Just as tiny tugboats pull hugh ocean liners into port, small foundations can deliver grants that will fund your programs and sometimes develop into long-term, multimillion-dollar partnerships. Also like tugboats, small foundations can turn around fast and are flexible, enthusiastic, and dedicated. The author, head of small and midsized foundations, relates real-life stories about the might of small funders.

match.org
CURRENTS Article The author compares the process of finding a good corporate or foundation funder to that of dating. In both, it's important to know when to make the first move, to be yourself, and to not give up after facing rejection.

A Different Beat
CURRENTS Article Corporate and foundation fund raisers worry that development managers have little understanding of the value or nature of their work, leading to limited career advancement opportunities and misguided performance measures. They point out, however, that the skills needed to succeed in CFR often give the CFR officer a better understanding of the campus and closer ties to deans and faculty that can benefit the entire advancement office.

Good Will Hunting
CURRENTS Article Corporate-academic partnerships are built on three concepts--mutuality, process, and personal relationships--which determine their ultimate success or failure. Authors Cumberland and Jessup argue that a corporate-academic partnership cannot prosper unless both sides have something to gain, have clearly delineated goals, and are nurtured by staff who understand what's at stake.

Mining for Gold
CURRENTS Article Profiles of 12 CASE Circle of Excellence 2003 winners. Member institution nominees were judged on the creativity of their alumni relations, communications, and development initiatives, including alumni publications, reunions, constituency giving, stewardship, and alumni relations programs. Profiled winners include Brigham Young University/University of Utah; Columbia College Chicago; Georgia Tech Alumni Association; Goucher College; Imperial College London; the Institute for Shipboard Education; Lehigh University Alumni Association; Monroe Community College Foundation; Pennsylvania State University; the University of Chicago; the University of Iowa Alumni Association; and the University of Miami.

Keeping Good Company
CURRENTS Article Recent business scandals highlight the tensions that can arise between institutions and corporate donors or partners. The authors recommend establishing a committee to identify and articulate the institution’s ethical principles, which should guide gift acceptance, and they provide advice on directing the committee’s work and handling crisis situations. This article will interest corporate relations officers, principal gifts officers, and other development staff concerned with corporate relations or questions of ethics in fund raising.

Defining the Institution's Values
CURRENTS Article Campuses can find themselves in an ethical dilemma when some constituents object to the actions of a current or prospective corporate donor. Hanson suggests several questions campuses should ask themselves when they define their values, develop gift acceptance policies, and deal with objections to a donor or gift. This article will interest corporate relations officers, principal gifts officers, and other development staff concerned with corporate relations or questions of fund-raising ethics.

AdvanceWork: Giving High on the Hog
CURRENTS Article A passion for motorcycles inspired a unique method of cultivating donors.

Closing Remarks: Corporatization
CURRENTS Article University-industry partnerships are creating a wealth of opportunity, but some institutional constituents are asking whether colleges are selling out, trading independence for money, or putting corporate interests ahead of open inquiry. Encouraging debate on these issues can help sensitize the academic community, which is ultimately responsible for academic vigilance. A good way to begin educating people is to enshrine the fundamental principles of academic freedom in the language of all gift and research agreements. Make accessible on the Web and in print any policy statements addressing academic freedom, conflict of interest, the right to publish, confidentiality, and intellectual property rights.

Which Way Is the Wind Blowing?
CURRENTS Article At a three-day conference, university development officers, consultants, and corporate and foundation representatives discussed the outlook for corporate and foundation giving.

AdvanceWork: In the Cards
CURRENTS Article Problem/Solution

Fund-Raising Renaissance
CURRENTS Article Carnie, founder of a European prospect research firm, describes the past, present, and future of professional fund raising by European nonprofits. He traces the historically dominant role of European governments in social welfare, which inhibited the development of nonprofits and fund raising in some countries. Although governments will most likely remain the primary source of nonprofit funds, cutbacks are leading many continental development officers to focus more intently on the three major private-sector sources -- people, foundations, and corporations. Carnie cites three trends: 1) increased competition, 2) changes in fund-raising methods, and 3) increased regulation, including an emphasis on accreditation by independent agencies.

AdvanceWork: Let's Make a Deal
CURRENTS Article Outlines ten tips for creating and maintaining corporate partnerships that benefit the campus and the company.

Corporate Change and Corporate Giving
CURRENTS Article Mergers, buyouts, divestitures and other corporate changes raise the possibility that corporate giving to education will suffer. Patience, understanding, and regular contact with the affected companies can help you position your institution to make the best of these changes. The article describes some of the more common scenarios involved in corporate change and offers these tips: 1) Stay on top of the news. 2) Consider the effects of the change. 3) Cultivate allies inside the new corporate structure. 3) Don't push. 4) Educate new corporate contacts about the existing relationship. 5) Educate new leaders on the tradition of corporate philanthropy. 6) Be a good steward of previous gifts. 7) Prepare for the worst. A sidebar summarizes what merging companies consider when they combine two philanthropy programs.

Give & Take
CURRENTS Article As businesses take a hard look at how they're spending their money, many companies are concluding that their philanthropic efforts must be "aligned with their business strategies, with the messages it wants to communicate, and with the wishes of its employees." Corporate partnerships now demand that universities offer something substantial in return for charitable gifts. Recruiting and research programs continue as traditional partnerships. Common elements to partnership programs include: 1) the involvement of a select group of firms; 2) the use of a single office to coordinate activities; 3) methods to increase interactions among participants; 4) a focus on building relationships before solicitations are made; 5) the realization that these programs are labor-intensive.

The Changing Face of Corporate Giving
CURRENTS Article New England Colleges Fund president Kraus suggests how campuses can present their case for support in line with changing corporate interests. Business leaders today tend to see philanthropy as a means to an end, and are more focused on quantifying and benchmarking the results of every aspect of their operations, including their financial investments in education. Therefore, companies now see philanthropic giving as a means to address specific social, economic or other needs, especially those that help build a skilled labor force. In addition, corporations now see giving as a means to enhance their own image to a larger public audience. The number of unrestricted corporate gifts is declining, in part because campuses are not effectively communicating their need for unrestricted gifts