Twenty Years of Dreams Delivered

The idea that we can shape a better future is what the American dream is all about and a stronger future for this nation and the world is contingent on an educated society. Since 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) has served as a critical link between students fulfilling their dream of greater access to higher education and leadership development training, and the opportunity for those students to become part of a new generation of leaders for communities, the nation and the world. To date, the organization has been the source of dream fulfillment for over 7,500 students who have received scholarships and graduated from college. TMCF impacts 235,000 students annually by providing capacity-building and programmatic support to its 47 member public Historically Black Colleges and Universities. TMCF’s impact on the nation is achieved through its mission and targeted focus on specific areas imperative to developing future leaders.

Leadership Development

Thurgood Marshall College Fund has as one of its focal areas a commitment to providing students with leadership development training and professional development opportunities. This focus has resulted in students being much more competitive and successful as they enter graduate or professional schools or enter the workforce. TMCF’s leadership development priority has been growing over the last five years. In addition to the organization’s flagship program, the annual Leadership Institute, TMCF provides leadership training opportunities to students throughout the year to help them more successfully transition from college to the workplace. The launch of the unique “Student Sales Training Program” in 2007 will continue to provide an excellent opportunity for students interested in careers in sales to learn the key attributes and skills required to become successful in the field. TMCF will continue to track leadership training programs to benchmark results and impact on a student’s immediate and long-term success.

Capacity Building

Capacity building has been one of TMCF’s three major priorities for the last six years, which involves increasing member institutions’ capacity across a range of areas including fundraising, technology use, leadership and financial aid. TMCF delivers to member schools strategic support, such as executive leadership training for member institutions’ top administrators and staff, technology upgrades for campuses and professional development programs for students. Among TMCF’s many capacity building partners are The Gallup Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GE Foundation and The Lilly Endowment.

• TMCF held its sixth annual Presidents’ and Member School Professional Conference (PMSPC) in San Francisco. Each year, the conference features distinct tracks designed to address specific developmental and capacity-building needs of college presidents, top administrators and staff, such as development officers, financial aid officers and career placement officers. A post-conference evaluation showed that 95% of participants rated the conference as excellent.
  Results from the training to date include:
  • All the colleges reporting increased endowments, with an average school-to-school increase of 15.9%.
  • Alumni contributions increased by 40% in 2007 compared to 2005, far exceeding the original benchmark
• TMCF published the book HBCUs Models for Success: Supporting Achievement and Retention of Black Males in 2006. The book project was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and in 2007, TMCF tracked multiple tangible results and outcomes including:
  • Greater dialogue among senior administrators regarding research and programming to increase achievement and retention of black males.
  • New training programs on retention for faculty and staff.
  • Focused national attention to the need for programs to advance achievement and retention of black males.

Center for HBCU School Reform Partnerships

The Center for Innovative HBCU School Reform Partnerships, a division of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, was established to close student academic achievement gaps and increase college readiness/preparation and college-going rates among students, especially those of color. TMCF has had a school reform initiative for several years, most notably with the Gates/Marshall Redesign Project, which involves supporting six new and redesigned university-assisted high schools over five years. Some noteworthy accomplishments of the project in 2007 include:

• Coppin Academy: English II students were significantly more proficient than the city average (65% compared to 48%).
• Jones Academy: In the subject of English, 93% of 10th grade students met requirements versus a statewide average of 84%.
• Royal Academy: In Math, 83% of students met state standards, exceeding state-wide achievements. This was 90% higher than 2005 levels.

Career Development DVD Series

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Fletcher Foundation in 2007 launched a career development DVD on TMCF’s homepage, which was the first in a series of career and leadership development-oriented instructive DVDs. This series is designed to strengthen students’ skills in securing internships and onboarding into careers. Thurgood Marshall College Fund also launched the series to assist students with strategies for successful internships, techniques and tips on job search tactics, resume development and sample scripts.

TMCF Publishes “Eight Steps to Raising Money: Measuring Your Fundraising Impact”

Thurgood Marshall College Fund reinforced its commitment to serving as a strategic partner to businesses, organizations and higher education institutions by releasing a new book on fundraising strategies for entry-level and grassroots fundraisers. Eight Steps to Raising Money, written by TMCF President & CEO Dwayne Ashley, provides eight strategic approaches designed to serve as a roadmap for successful fundraising for non-profits: Planning Developing the fundraising campaign case How to build a team Cultivating potential donors Written communication How to solicit gifts and stewardship How to market a project Measurement of fundraising impact

Strategic Planning

Since its inception, Thurgood Marshall College Fund has maintained an earnest commitment to excellence. TMCF, with a continuous focus on a commitment to excellence and an objective to continually strengthen the organization in areas critical to increasing the organization’s longterm viability, engaged Booz Allen Hamilton in developing a strategic plan in 2007. The strategic plan, which the organization is implementing, was funded by Booz Allen Hamilton, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Lilly Endowment, Wal-Mart Foundation and Wachovia Bank Foundation. The committee was chaired by Curtis Tearte, General Manager, Industry & Growth Initiatives, IBM Systems & Technology Group.