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Titan campaign a lesson in how to raise $270 million in 7 years

March 31, 2023

By Nicole Gregory, contributing writer

The seven-year “It Takes a Titan Campaign” has concluded, raising more than $270 million dollars that will benefit current and future students for generations to come.

In a webinar presentation on March 10, Ellen Treanor, associate vice president for Strategic Communications, spoke with Greg Saks, vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation, about the stages of this campaign and the hard work and happy surprises that went into raising this large sum of money.

“It Takes a Titan” was Cal State Fullerton’s first-ever comprehensive campaign, meaning it was intended to raise money for several goals, rather than one specific goal as in, for instance, a capital campaign for the construction of a building. “We found through this campaign an incredible eagerness to help our students and campus reach new heights of success. Supporting students has dividends beyond the classroom and Orange County,” Saks said.

He and his development team focused on key priorities. “One is academic innovation,” he said. “We want to make sure our faculty have all the tools they need, including funds for professional development for faculty and research funds for faculty-student collaboration.”

Second, Saks said, was student empowerment. “We want to eliminate barriers to student success,” he said. This might include funding for scholarships or tackling food insecurity.

The third priority was campus transformation — physical improvements for the campus such as the new baseball/softball complex. And fourth is community enrichment, supporting such efforts as the Center for Healthy Neighborhoods.

The first stage of the campaign involved assessments and planning. “It was our first time embarking on an ambitious fundraising effort,” Saks said. He and his team looked at data and the needs of the Cal State Fullerton community. “We asked what we could raise.” A working goal was put at $175 million. It was a stretch, Saks admitted, “but a reasonable stretch.”

“We also looked beyond our advancement staff and asked, ‘Who wants to help us tell the world about how important this campaign is for Cal State Fullerton?’” he said. “By the end, we had over 140 staff, faculty, administrators, students, alumni, parents and other stakeholders who served as campaign ambassadors.”

Next came the leadership phase — identifying campus groups and organizations that could lead the way with significant investments.

“So many times, I was blown away by the generosity (of groups)” Saks said, and in particular the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation. “The board wanted to be a lead donor at the $10 million mark.” This goal was met in six months. “They said, ‘Let’s grow this goal to $12 million’ — and they met that goal again,” Saks said. “So, they said ‘Let’s go with a goal of $15 million.’ This was reached as well.”

Greg Saks, vice president for University Advancement, talks about the fundraising campaign to a group of potential donors. (Courtesy of CSUF News Media Services)

At that point, the campaign was ready for its official launch. “This is a crucial time in a campaign, when you declare to the world your goals,” Saks said. During the launch event in February 2020, the Nicholas and Lee Begovich $10 million gift was announced. This put the campaign at 63% of its goal at the official launch. President Fram Virjee then bumped the campaign goal to $200 million.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, and the “It Takes A Titan” campaign had to pivot its efforts. “We focused on virtual engagement,” Saks said. Many students lost their jobs because of the pandemic, and meeting basic needs suddenly became difficult. The college community raised $600,000 to help students get through this time.

Work on the campaign continued through the pandemic and by spring 2021, it had reached 90% of the goal.

Then came an unexpected surprise. The university was chosen as a recipient of an unrestricted gift of $40 million from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett. “It really validates the work that happens at Cal State Fullerton every day,” Saks said. “Here is one of the most sophisticated philanthropists in the world. I am proud of that level of recognition,” he said.

This large gift gave Saks and others the chance to rethink the campaign goal once again. “We went to $250 million,” he said. And that still wasn’t the end.

“Due to the amazing generosity and incredible work of our development team and advancement team, the alumni engagement officers, our incredible deans and cabinet of the university, and all our faculty and staff, we continued that progress,” Saks said. As of Dec. 31, when the campaign officially ended, $270,270,777 had been raised.

Saks can’t stop expressing his admiration for the individuals and groups that stepped up to make this campaign a success. “It was really the generosity of our donors and the incredible work of our campus stakeholders who were willing to tell the story of Cal State Fullerton that helped us reach so many milestones.”

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Titan campaign a lesson in how to raise $270 million in 7 years

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