In the wake of the nation’s financial crisis and years of prolonged economic instability, college graduates have been slow to give back to their alma maters, forcing development offices to find new and creative ways to reach out to their alumni.
The national average for alumni giving remains remarkably low, at about 9 to 10 percent for private colleges and 5 to 6 percent for public universities. The problem is even more distressing at historically Black colleges and universities, which, at one time, produced the lion’s share of Black college graduates in this country.
But despite the sharp economic decline, Bennett College, the small, Black women’s college headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., has consistently managed to keep its numbers up, garnering annual financial contributions from about 20 percent of its alumni, much higher than the HBCU national average of about 6 percent.
We are one of the smallest HBCUs in the country and yet we’re doing our share,” says Dr. Rosalind Fuse-Hall, who assumed the presidency of Bennett in July and has been barnstorming the country on a mission to raise funds for the liberal arts school. “I applaud our women because they believe in Bennett College, they support Bennett College and they give to Bennett College. Where else would you find that kind of support from the alumnae?”
At a time when many HBCUs are struggling to stay financially afloat as philanthropic efforts have taken a steep downward turn, HBCU leaders might consider looking at the Bennett model to see why so many “Belles” — as they’re affectionately referred to on the day they enroll at the university — have steadily supported the college through the years, despite generational differences and some of the more obvious challenges that confront the school on a day-to-day basis.
For example, Bennett’s four-year graduation rate hovers at about 29 percent and its enrollment numbers are down, forcing administrators to develop a five-year strategy that includes attracting more transfer, non-traditional and international students from Asia and Africa.
