Melanie Blackford
July 18, 2008
Elizabeth City State University alumni as well as those of other Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) member colleges and universities are invited to attend a free one-day Alumni Training Workshop. The workshop is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, August 1, at ECSU in the Ridley Student Center located on campus. The workshop, made possible with the support of a $10,000 grant awarded to the university, is sponsored by TMCF, the Lily Endowment, Inc. and ECSU. It is designed to assist TMCF member schools in increasing alumni participation and enhancing alumni involvement in the fundraising process. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided at the workshop. Overnight accommodations are also available, the night before the training, for those persons that must travel considerable distances to attend the training. The workshop’s presenter will be an experienced faculty member from The Fund Raising School (TFRS) associated with the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Founded in 1974, TFRS is a pioneer in building a foundation of excellence for fundraising. It offered one of the first-ever opportunities for nonprofit fundraisers to receive professional education and training. The school teaches comprehensive, proven fundraising concepts and principles, incorporating the latest research. At the same time, it offers specific tools and techniques that empower fundraisers to effectively plan and manage their development efforts. Considered a leading authority in the field, TFRS teaches the historical and philanthropic context, the current issues, and the art and science of fundraising and philanthropy. Participants gain an understanding of the role of fundraising in building their organizations’ resources, how to organize their fundraising activities, and the practical details of implementing them. Barbara Sutton, class of ’74 who was recently named Director of Alumni Relations at ECSU, encourages all alumni to attend this workshop. "The Thurgood Marshall College Fund wants all of our alumni to know and understand their importance in ECSU’s success." Further, Sutton said, "Workshop attendees will become more aware of the key role alumni must play in fundraising." ECSU is one of 47 TMSF member public Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCU) and six Historically Black law Schools around the nation. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund was established in 1987 to assist African American students who have demonstrated a commitment to education in spite of their own challenges. Its colleges and universities constitute some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious institutions of higher education. Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Prior to being appointed to the Supreme Court, Marshall was propelled into the international spotlight when he successfully argued the 1954 landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which ordered the desegregation of the nation’s public schools. For more information or to find out if your school is a TMCF college or university you may visit their website at www.tmcf.org.To inquire about or register for the Alumni Training Workshop please call 252-335-3498. Space is limited.
