Cal State Fullerton is celebrating the successful completion of its first-ever comprehensive campaign, “It Takes a Titan.” The university raised more than $270 million, making it the third largest campaign in the history of the California State University system.
“This campaign is an amazing story. It is a story of solid preparation, adaptability and the enormous generosity of our donors,” said Greg Saks, vice president for university advancement, during a March 10 webinar.
“One thing we found in this campaign is an incredible eagerness by our campus investors to help our students and campus reach new heights of success,” he continued. “It’s clear that they believe that supporting students has dividends far beyond the classroom, Orange County and even the nation. It has the potential to impact not only the current generation but future generations.”
The university shattered its initial goal of raising $175 million to record a total of $270,270,788 in gifts and fundraising commitments by the end of 2022. During its seven-year campaign, Cal State Fullerton focused on four investment priorities: academic innovation, student empowerment, campus transformation and community enrichment.
Comparing the seven years before the campaign to the seven years during the campaign, Saks noted significant achievements:
- 230% increase in overall fundraising efforts ($79 million raised from 2008-14 to $270 million raised from 2015-22)
- 170% increase in alumni donors (15,622 alumni donors between 2008-14 to 42,178 alumni donors from 2015-22)
- 159% increase in total assets of Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation ($78.6 million from 2008-14 to $203.2 million from 2015-22)
- 64% increase in scholarships awarded to students ($20.7 million from 2015-22)
“It’s critical to remember that behind every gift and every statistic, there’s a student who was able to achieve their goals,” said Saks. “That’s really what drives all of us at Cal State Fullerton.”
Discussing next steps for the campaign, Saks said: “It is not by coincidence that the timing of this campaign’s end is aligned with the closing of the university’s five-year strategic plan. Step one is allowing the campus to complete its new five-year strategic plan effort and identify the campus’ priorities. From this collective decision-making, we can think about what is next.
“When I think about the success of this campaign, the first thing that comes to mind is that the culture of philanthropy is alive and well at Cal State Fullerton. In fact, we just saw it through our #TitansGive day of giving (March 8), where 140 areas of the university came together and raised $520,000 from 2,200 donors to support students and programs,” said Saks. “The generosity of our donors knows no bounds.”
Learn more about the campaign’s impact, including student and donor stories, at campaign.fullerton.edu.