WKCTC receives national fundraising award

Paducah, KY (06/18/2020) — The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) announced today that West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) is among more than 100 U.S. educational institutions that have been recognized with a 2020 Educational Fundraising Award. WKCTC's award is listed in the Public Two-Year Institutions category.

The Educational Fundraising Awards annually recognize exemplary development programs based on a blind, independent review of data submitted to the CASE Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey by CASE members. Member institutions that have participated in the VSE for the past three years are automatically considered.

WKCTC received an Overall Improvement Award, which recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate significant program growth across the three years of data.

"I'm delighted that CASE has recognized WKCTC with an Educational Fundraising Award this year! It's especially exciting to receive an award that speaks not only to the amount of funds raised but also addresses the processes and culture of the program on a comprehensive basis," said Lee Emmons, WKCTC vice president of institutional advancement and Paducah Junior College Foundation executive director. "We are grateful to the dedicated donors who support WKCTC programs and realize the extreme importance of their confidence in our fundraising program. By recognizing "professionalism and best practices" in fundraising, this award confirms the commitment of Dr. Reece, faculty, staff and the Paducah Junior College Foundation Board to ensure the highest degree of integrity in all that we do," she said. Paducah Junior College (PJC) is the charitable foundation of WKCTC.

Winners were not selected based solely on total funds raised. Two committees of experienced fundraisers (one for independent schools and one for colleges and universities) review hundreds of pages of data. They consider a number of factors and variables, including:

• patterns of growth in total support;
• evaluation of what contributed to the total support figure;
• overall breadth of fundraising;
• patterns of growth in gifts from sources including alumni, other individuals, corporations, and foundations;
• impact of the 12 largest gifts on total support;
• giving to areas such as current operations, endowment, and property/buildings;
• amount raised per student;
• amount raised relative to expenditures;
• alumni participation.

"Whilst today we celebrate the schools, colleges and universities in the United States that embody the best in educational fundraising, we want to acknowledge the people who make such achievements possible," said Sue Cunningham, CASE president and CEO. "Successful fundraising happens when everyone participates, from the staff and faculty to the institution's leadership. This inspiring philanthropic engagement is guided by dedicated and professional development staff, and supported by generous volunteers. Collectively, we are advancing education-key to addressing the many serious challenges our world faces today."

Emmons said reasons for WKCTC's advancement team's success include:

• highly qualified team members who strive for excellence and work toward continuous quality improvement;
• the college's foundation board of trustees made up of avid supporters who provide valuable guidance;
• a supportive president, faculty and staff who embrace philanthropy and believe in our fundraising mission; and
• continuous internal review of processes and duties with a willingness to make changes as needed to ensure best practice standards are met.

" I am very pleased that WKCTC continues to receive these national recognitions. The CASE award reflects the leadership of Lee Emmons and the advancement team and the support of the PJC foundation," said WKCTC President Anton Reece. "Advancement resources are critical to supporting the depth and breadth of the teaching and learning mission of the college."

To see a full list of 2020 Educational Fundraising Award winners, award categories and award judge information, visit case.org/awards/2020/2020-educational-fundraising-award-winners.

###

About CASE: CASE believes in advancing education to transform lives and society. As a global nonprofit membership association of educational institutions, CASE helps develop the communities of professional practice that build institutional resilience and success in challenging times. The communities include staff engaged in alumni relations, advancement services, communications, fundraising, government relations, marketing, and student recruitment. CASE is volunteer-led and uses the intellectual capital of senior practitioners to build capacity and capability across the world.

CASE has offices in Washington, D.C., London, Singapore and Mexico City. Member institutions include more than 3,600 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in 82 countries. CASE serves more than 90,000 practitioners. For more information about CASE, please visit www.case.org.

About West Kentucky Community and Technical College: WKCTC has been recognized as an Aspen Prize Top 10 Community College five times by the Aspen Institute and has twice been named a Finalist With Distinction for providing students with strong job training and continuing higher education opportunity, for achieving high completion and transfer rates, and for providing strong employment results for its graduates. For more information visit, westkentucky.kctcs.edu.

Media Attachments