DSU Holds HBCU Philanthropy Symposium

DSU’s Division of Institutional Advancement has taken the lead in establishing a consortium of regional HBCU institutions as it held its Historically Black College and University Philanthropy Symposium on Aug. 1-2 in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center.

The objective of the symposium was to begin a process among the participating institutions in which philanthropic outreach solutions could be shared and empower schools to effectively address the challenges they face in raising philanthropy dollars.

Joining DSU in the inaugural consortium were Bowie State University, Cheyney University, Lincoln University, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, and the University of the District of Columbia. More than 40 representatives from the participating schools attended the two-day symposium.

The participants discussed trends in philanthropy, preparedness for corporate funding, the need for collaborating with each other, and how to begin becoming a community of best practices institutions.   Several strategies were discussed on how to increase annual giving, engage alumni, and strategically make asks for transformational gifts to the respective universities.

Representatives from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Toyota Corporation, Delmarva Power, Astra Zeneca, and Benz Whaley and Flessner also participated in the symposium, sharing their knowledge as guest speakers and panelists.

Next year’s annual Philanthropy Symposium will be held at DSU on July 24-25, 2014.