Last week the University of Hawaii System and all 10 campuses hosted a “Giving Day,” where we encouraged people to make donations to university projects and funds. Everything from scholarships to student basic needs, athletics to scientific research, was highlighted as options for giving.
When I first became a dean 20 years ago, fundraising was the thing I was most nervous about. Some people were just so good at it, where I was decidedly uncomfortable asking people for money. I hear the same thing from almost everyone who is asking to participate in a fundraising campaign for the first time: “I can’t ask people for money!”
I have learned over the years, however, that the most important ingredient in fundraising is believing in the cause and being willing to donate myself. Much like leadership, where I try not to ask someone to do something that I would not be willing to do myself, demonstrating commitment to a cause through investing my own time or treasure is a tool I can use to convince others that that cause is worthwhile.
With so many worthy causes, however, how do we choose what to highlight? For me, it always starts with the students. What funds will provide the most benefit and help us to continue to provide a great education at UH Hilo? Each college has funds to which donors can contribute, and at the same time our faculty and staff apply for private and governmental grants, all because we believe it what we do, the education we provide, and the importance of our local community.
Of course the state also supports our work in a big way, and I am grateful to the governor and the Legislature, particularly our Hawaii Island delegation, for believing in us. The only way colleges and universities thrive is through a combination of all of these funds, and each represents an investment by a government, foundation or individual. By all of these different entities investing in a joint cause, our dollars go farther.
Our students and their families also support the work of the university through tuition and fees. Tuition covers some of the cost of education, but by no means the entirety. Some argue that those directly benefiting from a service should be those who pay for it, but that would mean that only the wealthy would be able to send students to college.
Our country decided long ago that education is a public good, like roads and other infrastructure, and the state is not so much paying for the individual students, but making an investment in the future of our community. Universities and colleges provide a range of services that go beyond educating our current students. Our grants and activities allow us to invest in a number of youth programs, provide new knowledge, and protect our natural and cultural resources.
When I talk to students about scholarships, I refer to them not as gifts of rewards for their past performance, but as investments. We invest in students, and, by doing so, we invest in our collective future. This aligns well with the reasons most of our local students come to the university. They do it for their families and communities as much as for themselves.
UH Hilo prepares students not only in their major field, but also for thriving in the world, even as circumstances change. Today that includes adaptability and creativity, as the world is changing around us, seemingly every day. With all these skills, the students will indeed be giving back to their families and communities as they also grow themselves. Our students thus build the future through their time and effort and ability, and if we are all successful, they, too, will become donors in the future, paying forward the investment we have made in their success. People are our most important and sustainable resource.
On Giving Day approximately 200 gifts were received by UH Foundation for the benefit of UH Hilo or Vulcan Athletics. Thank you for your support, both on April 9 and always. Whether you give of your time or treasure, we see you and we appreciate you. We are who we are because of you. Okage samo de!
Bonnie D. Irwin is chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Her column appears monthly in the Tribune-Herald.
