CU Denver Comprehensive Campaign

Advancement works with campus partners to raise philanthropic support that enhances existing school and college budgets. This can include funds for chairs, professorship, and graduate fellowships as well as research and program support. Additionally, scholarships provided by the university’s donors promote enrollment by removing financial barriers for students. 

Advancement does not raise funds to fill budget deficits. Donors give to make an impact — to change lives and improve society. They are not motivated to give by a university’s financial shortfall.

Advancement works with administration, faculty, and staff to find resources that help advance CU Denver’s educational mission and realize our 2030 strategic plan. While state support and tuition and fees allow us to keep the lights on, programs in place, and instructors in the classrooms, philanthropic support enables us to create, expand, and elevate programs; to be nimble when opportunities arise; to provide the access, flexibility, and relevance our students depend on; and to attract even more talented students and faculty.

While a campaign focuses the campus on highlighting identified priorities, Advancement always follows the lead of prospective donors, connecting them with funding opportunities that align with their specific interests. Even when these interests lie outside campaign priorities, Advancement continues to work with donors to help them fulfill their philanthropic goals. 

Faculty and staff can support their unit’s goals in numerous ways: 

• Developing and articulating a vision, which can inspire donors to support mutual goals.
• Supporting an excellent student experience, which is so influential for alumni to give back to the university.
• Connecting with your networks, who may have an interest in funding an aspect of your work.
• Managing funds, such as scholarships and program funds, which allows us to communicate back to donors the impact they helped create.
• Communicating regularly with your constituents about your activities and impact.
• Enhancing our institutional reputation through your research, publications, presentations, and media coverage.
• Collaborating with industry leaders, who can partner with us to provide support, experiential learning opportunities, and career pathways.
• Providing content about your programs for proposals, cases for support, and impact reports.
• Attending events to engage with alumni and donors.
• Joining donor visits to convey your enthusiasm for and confidence in your work.
• Creating meaningful engagement opportunities, which is particularly helpful for alumni to maintain their sense of connection to and affinity for CU Denver.
• Making a donation yourself, which demonstrates to our constituents how personally committed we are to the success of the initiatives we ask them to support.
• Volunteering in the community – which further raises the university’s profile.
• Engaging in the local community – which again enhances our institutional reputation while broadening networks.
• Attracting grants and contracts for your research.
• Staying in touch with former students to keep connections warm.
• Thinking big! What could you do with $10 million? $100 million?
• Showing your Lynx pride, which can be infectious.

During a campaign, a university brings certain goals and funding opportunities to the forefront. In our case, these will focus on scholarships, fellowships, student success, workforce development and preparedness, research, and innovation. The university as a whole, as well as the individual schools, colleges, and units throughout the campus, highlight initiatives related to these opportunities in their communications. This includes developing messaging and collateral that support fundraising efforts around campaign priorities as well as highlighting the role that philanthropy plays in advancing them. During the public phase of a campaign, the university also announces a specific fundraising goal and indicates its progress toward achieving it. 

For schools or colleges with embedded development officers, start by connecting with them. A list of development officers is available. For all others, please reach out to Scott Webb, assistant vice chancellor at scott.webb@ucdenver.edu.

As fundraising is based on building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships, strategies around garnering support involve engaging prospective donors in your work and communicating its impact. Speaking with a member of the Advancement team about your work is a good first step. This will help them make connections when they are speaking with prospective donors and learning about their philanthropic goals and priorities. It is also helpful to articulate a compelling vision and create a case for support that describes your program’s rationale and impact as well as opportunities for donors to play a role. The Advancement team is happy to assist you in developing these.

Establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with donors and alumni is essential to supporting and advancing the university's mission, and the Office of Advancement is prepared to work with you in many ways to make this possible. Please visit the Partnering with Advancement page for more information.

Here are some additional reading and resources around higher education fundraising.

• Development for Academic Leaders: A Practical Guide for Fundraising Success by Penelepe C. Hunt and forward by John Lioppincott

• Expanding the Donor Base in Higher Education: Engaging Non-Traditional Donors edited by Noah D. Drezner