Precinct Reporter Group News

Top Menu

  • Precinct Reporter News
  • Food
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy

Main Menu

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Read Our E-Edition
  • ADVERTISE
  • Subscribe
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login
  • Precinct Reporter News
  • Food
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy

logo

Precinct Reporter Group News

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Read Our E-Edition
  • ADVERTISE
  • Subscribe
  • LA Sparks Mentor and Encourage Local Students

  • Supremacist Murders of Black People

  • Corey Jackson Seeks 60th Assembly Seat

  • William Moses Summerville Seeks 42nd Congressional Seat

  • Long Beach Celebrates Innovation Center Grand Opening

Latest PRGNews
Home›Latest PRGNews›You Don’t Have to Break the Bank to Give Back

You Don’t Have to Break the Bank to Give Back

By Precinct Reporter News
July 23, 2018
3449
0
Share:

By Dr. Harry L. Williams

Earlier this year, a man named Jack Weldon Patrick passed away in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. A long-time lawyer, Patrick was remembered as a family man, an advocate for social justice, and a respected community leader.

One day a check arrived by mail for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) in memory of Jack Weldon Patrick. A few days later, another one arrived, and a few weeks later, another check. Individual donations kept coming to support the work of TMCF and our publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in honor of Jack. His obituary read, “in lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial donations in Jack’s name to causes he cared deeply about.” One of those causes was TMCF.

So many of us outside of TMCF headquarters and Menomonee may have never known Jack as a stalwart of access and opportunity for students attending Black colleges. Many of us aren’t even aware that Jack was part of the reason why in 2016, private giving and contracts earned by HBCUs increased for a second straight year, posting a four-year high of $320 million. But we do know he was a living embodiment of the famous quote by Nelson Henderson: “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

While philanthropic anonymity is honorable, philanthropic leadership helps organizations like TMCF reach new supporters, encouraging new donor circles to give. Showcasing the faces and stories of those who give is an important tool in cultivating similar donors, encouraging a culture of giving around our campuses. This is a critical strategy that grows an organization’s base of support every year. For non-profit organizations, individual giving is the largest type of charitable gift – four times the amount as the next largest category in 2015, according to Giving USA.

Organizations like TMCF thrive due to the generosity of individuals who believe in our work and want to expand our impact, through monthly and annual donations, as well as the legacy gift.  TMCF combines these individuals’ gifts with foundation grants and partnerships with major corporations and government agencies to provide the funds that allow us to transform lives. It takes a philanthropic village to develop young minds, and we are humbled to be good stewards of the resources that our donors and partners entrust to us.

TMCF, its 47 member-schools and the nearly 300,000 students attending them each year, want to play a role in redefining HBCU philanthropy and support. The data on finances and the number of degrees we produce in areas like STEM, education, social sciences and criminal justice already show just how productive HBCUs continue to be in graduating Black students. Seventy percent of our publicly-supported HBCUs attendees are first generation college students (like I was) and eligible for Pell Grants. In comparison, the national average is only 37 percent for all public schools.  By providing this quality education, students transform their lives and prepare to enter economically sustainable careers. Now TMCF wants to illustrate that same culture within our giving networks.

Anyone believing in the power of education to transform lives should invest in HBCUs. This includes alumni who want to have a tangible way to support their schools. All people in our networks at work, at church, in our communities, fraternities and sororities, and other circles of activity are worthy of soliciting for support. Age, earnings and personality are not elements for disqualifying those who might be willing to give, or those who have the capacity to do so.

TMCF member-schools like North Carolina Central University are experiencing record gains in gifts secured from younger donors. Texas Southern University recently raised more than $1M at its annual Maroon and Gray gala, an event which just in its second year which has cultivated new supporters for the university and has raised nearly $2M for student scholarships and institutional support.

So today, we honor one man—Jack Weldon Patrick—and his commitment to HBCUs, and we thank his friends and family for their continued investment in the work of TMCF.  We hope his example encourages others to consider impacting people’s lives by supporting our nation’s HBCUs.

 Harry L. Williams is the president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. Before joining TMCF, he spent eight years as president of Delaware State University. Follow him on Twitter at @DrHLWilliams.

TagsBlack educationHBCULong Beach Leaderprecinct reporterThurgood Marshall College FundTri-County Bulletin
Previous Article

A Hit – The Essence Music Festival

Next Article

OpEd: Congress Must Stop Family Separation

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Precinct Reporter News

Related articles More from author

  • Latest PRGNews

    Riverside County Schools Get $1M Literacy Grant

    October 17, 2019
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    Michael V. Drake New President of University of California

    July 8, 2020
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    State Drops Age for COVID Shot, Nonprofits Demand Bigger Role

    April 8, 2021
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    Rep. Barbara Lee Considers Run for Democratic Caucus Chair

    July 19, 2018
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    Majority Leader Reyes: $7.6B COVID Relief Package

    February 23, 2021
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    Trump Efforts to Dismantle Post Office

    August 20, 2020
    By Precinct Reporter News

You might be interested

  • Latest PRGNews

    Fair Housing’s Unfinished 50-Year Journey

  • Latest PRGNews

    Why Ending AIDS in Africa Matters to Black Americans

  • Latest PRGNews

    Bill Capping Use of Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas Awaits Signature

Ads

Advertise with us!

Ads ||

Find us on Facebook

Ads

Precinct Reporter News Group

Your local news resource for 50 years in the Inland Empire, Orange County, Long Beach and surrounding areas!

To subscribe or advertise, call 909.889.0597

About us

  • Broadcasting & Media Production Company
    357 W. 2nd Street
    San Bernardino, California, CA 92401
  • mailto:sales@precinctreporter.com
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • LA Sparks Mentor and Encourage Local Students

    By Precinct Reporter News
    May 19, 2022
  • Supremacist Murders of Black People

    By Precinct Reporter News
    May 19, 2022
  • Corey Jackson Seeks 60th Assembly Seat

    By Precinct Reporter News
    May 19, 2022
  • IE/OC Prostate and Breast Cancer, Change the Menu

    By PRGNews
    July 16, 2015
  • Join our Recipe Competition!

    By PRGNews
    July 16, 2015
  • SB Budget Cuts CDBG

    SB CDBG Cuts Have Local Nonprofits Braced for the Worst

    By PRGNews
    July 16, 2015

Follow us

© Powered by Hotspotwebsites.net. All rights reserved.