NYU-SCPS George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising to Host "Leadership in Fundraising: A Conference for Minority-Serving Institutions"

NEW YORK, May 14, 2012 – Leaders of America’s historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions of higher learning, and tribal colleges will assemble at New York University on May 21 and 22 for the “Leadership in Fundraising: A Conference for Minority-Serving Institutions,” co-sponsored by the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies (NYU-SCPS) George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising and the University’s Faculty Resource Network (FRN).

The Conference will provide an in-depth overview of all aspects of effective fundraising, including major gifts, annual campaigns, the “art of the ask,” planned giving, and corporate and foundation relations.  

Conceived and led by Heyman Center Executive Director Naomi Levine, the Conference will aim to improve and to enhance the fundraising efforts of these minority-serving educational institutions, which historically have had difficulty in their ability to cultivate donor support in comparison to their non-minority counterparts. 

“Fundraising is a profession, with an important body of knowledge that can be applied by all institutions to help them achieve their goals,” said Levine, who founded the Heyman Center in 2000, after more than two decades as NYU’s senior vice president and chief development officer. During her tenure, NYU raised more than $2.5 billion, transforming itself from a local commuter college to one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher education. 

“We established the Heyman Center to help nonprofits of all kinds capitalize on the techniques we developed at NYU,” she noted. “We look forward to sharing some of these techniques with the Conference participants.”  

Other Heyman Center faculty members presenting at the Conference are Richard Brown, Laura Fredricks, Timothy Higdon, Davida Isaacson, Ellen Lambert, Richard Marker, Marian Stern, Richard McPherson, Poonam Prasad, Susan Shattuck, and Marcia Stepanek.

The Faculty Resource Network at NYU was established in 1984 to support smaller institutions, such as community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and minority-serving institutions, with professional development opportunities for their faculty members. Among its 53 member institutions nationwide are 14 historically black colleges and universities and 14 Hispanic-serving institutions. 

“The enthusiastic response of our member colleges to this conference underscores the importance of fundraising as a key component for success in the continued growth and excellence of these institutions,” said FRN Executive Director Debra Szybinski, who will open the Conference with NYU Provost David McLaughlin.

About the George H. Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising
The NYU-SCPS George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, the nation’s preeminent educator of fundraisers and grantmakers, offers professional programs to help students gain a solid foundation in the field while building their own fundraising philosophy and framework through advanced study of the history and theory of the industry. Since its inception in 1999, the Heyman Center has educated more than 3,000 practitioners, executives, and volunteers from hundreds of nonprofits, corporations, and foundations. In the Heyman Center's classrooms, students learn from the Center's faculty of nationally recognized experts, in courses that allow students to question, explore, and hone their skills. The Heyman Center offers: the Master of Science in Fundraising and Grantmaking and noncredit certificates in Ethics and Governance for Nonprofits and Public Companies, Fundraising, Global Philanthropy, and Grantmaking and Foundations.