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As Fresno State continues its Comprehensive Campaign to improve support for the university, Peter Smits, vice president for University Advancement, is looking ahead to the changes we can make.

"Private support really makes a big difference at a public university like ours," Smits says. "I once heard Chancellor Reed talk about the difference between a good university and a great university is private support. Fundraising allows us to do things that the state doesn’t normally allow us to do."

Gifts can be small or large, but all of them make a difference. One donation the university recently received was the Jordan gift to the College of Agriculture, which is allowing the university to provide scholarships for students and expand programs in ways that never would have been possible without that kind of support.

"All around, with the way our economy is going these days in California, it’s important to improve private support for our university," says Smits.

Fresno State is now in the public phase of the campaign. According to Smits, when the campaign was launched in March of 2009, the university had raised $132,000,000, and now it has raised $144,000,000.

"If there are folks out there that are still trying to decide whether or not to make a gift, the first thing I would say is, please do" says Smits. "Secondly I would ask them to find out a little bit more about what’s going on with the university, and the things that might be intriguing and interesting to them, for private support."

This is the university's first comprehensive campaign, and so far it has been quite effective, if measured by the total dollars raised, Smits notes. The overall goal is to raise $200 million.

"Typically, depending on what we raised in a given year, we raised about four or five dollars for every dollar invested in fundraising," says Smits. "If we could all invest our money in the bank this way, we’d scurry to the bank right now. So it’s a pretty good return on investment and will make a difference in the university for years and years to come."

Developing a fundraising program is a long-term process, according to Smits, because it is dependent upon the building of relationships between the community and the university.

"People give money to the university, not necessarily because we need it, but because they want to," says Smits. "They have found something at Fresno State that intrigues them. That creates a passion and excitement in them, and that’s why folks give to the university."

If you’re interested in learning more about the campaign for Fresno State and how you can give, visit www.supportfresnostate.com. For more information on CSU charitable gifts, visit CSU Public Affairs.

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