By Nicole Gregory, contributing writer

People who wish to give a financial gift to Cal State Fullerton, a state entity, must give to the university’s Philanthropic Foundation, which distributes funds according to donors’ wishes. And these donations are critical in supporting programs that benefit students, today and into the future.

The Philanthropic Foundation is part of the university but separate, too.

“The Philanthropic Foundation is basically an auxiliary of the university, a 501(c)(3),” said Greg J. Saks, executive director of the foundation, who has been at Cal State Fullerton for 10 years and is also vice president for University Advancement. “It serves generically as the philanthropic bank of the campus. We serve as that depository of gift revenue that comes to the university.”

The foundation’s board of governors consists of local business and community leaders who work on committees, including finance and investment committees, and provide guidance for the university’s endowment as well as the other funds of the institution. As executive director, Saks helps hone their vision and oversees compliance matters.

Donors can choose where their gifts are spent, and two ongoing areas of funding are scholarships and supporting basic needs for students, which was particularly critical during the pandemic.

“On our campus, over 99% of all donations are what we call ‘designated,’ which means that the donor tells us where it goes,” said Saks. “We are bound to make sure it goes to that location. It can go to, say, the College of Business and Economics, which is a pretty big area, but that’s still considered designated.” The state of California funds the bare bones of Cal State University’s budget, so money from donors helps to expand that budget. “This is actually one of the things that’s so remarkable about philanthropy at an institution like Cal State Fullerton, is that every donation is an additive,” Saks said.

Designated donations support a variety of programs, raising them to a new level. “When you think about the study abroad experience, or if you think about additional dollars for internships or research opportunities, it’s really philanthropy or other sources that make them happen,” Saks said. “When we talk to donors, we oftentimes find out what their passion is. And if, say, they care deeply about students having research opportunities, then we’re able to set up their dollars in a way that really can impact what they want.”

Donors — alumni, parents and other stakeholders — express a variety of wishes, and each is honored. “(Some) care about supporting that faculty member or department that made a big difference to them, or maybe that student club that they cared so much about, or maybe they were involved in a diversity center or study abroad,” Saks said. “And so, we’ve really encouraged them to go as micro as they’re comfortable so that they can support what really scratches their passion.”

Some donors make yearly gifts to the Philanthropic Foundation, and others give a one-time large gift to make an impact in a particular area.

“And when that happens, it’s really oftentimes quite transformational,” Saks said. “Because we’re a campus where 60% of our students will be the first in their family to graduate from college, about 45% of our students are Pell-eligible. So when donors or investors make gifts, and especially larger gifts, that really transforms the way we’re able to provide the students’ educational experience and supplement it in ways that make it even more impressive, it just means the world. It’s just so, so incredible,” he said.

A major source of funding has come from the comprehensive campaign undertaken by Cal State Fullerton, the first of its kind at the university. “We started with a goal, initially, of $175 million,” Saks said. “And then we increased that goal from $175 million to $200 million. And we have subsequently increased it to $250 million.” The university has surpassed even this latest goal. “We are now at $262 million, which is awesome,” Saks said.

Determining priorities for funding is a group effort. Every college at the university has its own fundraising goal for the fiscal year, and this can vary from year to year. One of the larger priorities right now is funding for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, which has grown more than 150% over the past 10 years, Saks said.

“They were able to receive almost $67.5 million from the state of California last year for a new building, which is awesome because the building they have now is very inadequate for the growth of that college,” he said. “But unfortunately, $67.5 million isn’t going to build the building that they need. They really need closer to $100 million. So, a big effort we have right now is thinking about how we can raise dollars to help get us over the hump so we can build that building for that college.”

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