On a summer day two years ago, Fresno State announced the most ambitious fundraising effort in its history. University officials called it, “The Comprehensive Campaign for Fresno State,â€Â and its goal was nothing if not bold:

Raise $100 million by 2009, and $250 million by 2011.

In the two years since, the campaign has weathered a crisis in the housing market, an economic downturn and bad publicity associated with the school̢۪s alleged discriminatory treatment of women̢۪s coaches and administrators.

But the money keeps pouring in. In fact, in the first two months of this year, Fresno State exceeded $110,000 in donations – a new record, according to university President John D. Welty.

If the school continues at this pace, it will collect $32 million at the end of this fiscal year. This is a jump from the $27 million raised per year since the campaign began.

“We are very encouraged by how well we’re doing,â€Â said Mary Anna Dunn, the associate vice president of development, and head of the campaign.

But when Dunn started working for the university in 2004, there was a laundry list of things to do before the campaign could start.

Dunn said that the university needed to fill new positions, start training, increase experience and assemble better reports on current fundraising efforts.

“If you don’t have the pieces in place, you don’t have a campaign,â€Â she said.

Among the workers are several alumni and volunteers who contact potential donors, in some cases making testimonials about their own donations.

“The volunteers helping out are making a huge difference,â€Â Dunn said.

There are also directors of development who work with the deans of each college within the university. According to Roxanne Hinds, the director of development for the College of Sciences and Math, a director̢۪s job is to build relationships between the university and potential donors.

“It’s going to meet people where they are, at their workplace,â€Â Hinds said, “and closely listen to what they say.â€Â

The $100 million is called a nucleus fund. Part of it goes towards funding further fundraising efforts, essentially ensuring that the campaign always pays for itself. The fund also works as a baseline to determine future fundraising goals, which are usually 40 percent to 60 percent of the nucleus fund. This means that when the campaign reaches its culmination in 2011, the university could raise as much as $250 million.

The campaign is part of an umbrella theme for the university called Powering the New California. Under that theme, the university’s goals include advancing world-class agriculture, creating a healthier valley, educating our children, helping the economy grow and celebrating the “new California’sâ€Â arts and cultures.

The sub-themes are based loosely around the university̢۪s individual colleges, and Dunn said they reflect what faculty, deans and volunteers from around campus wanted to focus on.

Usually, donors give because there is a specific project they would like to support within one of those themes.

“People give because they want to see something as an outcome,â€Â Hinds said.

Paramount Citrus gave $200,000 to the College of Agriculture this semester. The money will help create the Advanced Teaching and Research Laboratory for Citiculture. Dunn said that these kinds of donations create a two-way street for donors; Fresno State gets stronger programs, and businesses who donate get better-trained future employees.

Other gifts this semester include $80,000 to the Craig School of Business, and $85,000 to the College of Engineering.

Fresno State̢۪s fundraising efforts have not always gone so smoothly. An internal audit in 2003 revealed that the university had accepted about $2.9 million dollars in athletics donations that it should not have accepted.

Some donors to the athletic department at the time were participating in a matching donation system, where companies matched the funds given by individual donors. The money from individuals could be used toward athletics, but the money from the companies should have been sent to academics. Hundreds of thousands of dollars went where donation finance rules said it shouldn̢۪t go.

Fresno State is in the process of calling all donors, ensuring that the money was used as the donors had intended, and has clarified its fundraising rules.

Dunn said that the most important part of the campaign is to follow the donors̢۪ lead for how the money is used.

Other recent problems with the university, such as the legal battles with former women̢۪s basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein, and the over $8 million paid out to Lindy Vivas and Diane Milutinovich, have not had an impact on the campaign̢۪s fundraising efforts.

Directors of development, staff who coordinate the fundraising efforts for the individual colleges on campus, are optimistic.

Hinds said that since Fresno’s population is very diverse, most of their donors have not been affected by the housing crisis. She described the weakening economy’s impact on her fundraising as “marginal.â€Â

Lee Ann Jansen, director of development for the College of Arts and Humanities, said the economy “will always be a concern.â€Â For the most part, Jansen said the only change she’s seen has been donors taking longer to make a decision.

“For us, we’re doing well,â€Â she said. She added that the lawsuits have not made an impact on her fundraising efforts at all, saying that donors are focused on the college’s academic reputation.

In the past couple of months, Fresno State has started to spread the word about the campaign. It bought air time on KFSN-Channel 30 and seven cable stations for ads promoting the college. The university plans on using the ads as groundwork for the 2009 debut of the second half of the campaign̢۪s fundraising efforts.

The ads, which cost $450,000, promote Fresno State̢۪s achievements, such as spotlighting professors who work to improve the Valley̢۪s air quality. The goal is to show how Fresno State works for the community.

“People give not because there’s a need, but because there’s success,â€Â Dunn said.

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