A BluePrint for Success: Case Studies of Successful - Educational ...

A Blueprint for Success
master’s degree, 26 percent a Ph.D., 13 percent a bachelor’s degree, and 12 percent an M.D. Only
38 percent of respondents indicated having a parent or sibling who graduated from college.
Specific to the types of career aspirations, 20 percent of respondents plan to or are pursuing careers
in STEM-related fields and 21 percent indicated pans for health-related careers.
Almost 90 percent of respondents indicated volunteering at least one hour in the prior six months.
Several positive outcomes are reflected in the self-reported outcomes on the survey (percentage agreeing
or agreeing strongly is listed in parentheses):
(94.5 percent) “I feel more confident in myself after attending HYS”
(88.9 percent) “I feel more confident in my abilities to apply for scholarships as a result
HYS.”
(81.3 percent) “HYS has helped me reach my college goals.”
Sustainability
Given that HYI is a program of the Hispanic College Fund (HCF), the fundraising efforts are delegated
to the organization’s development team. A large percentage of the funds come from corporations,
although the organization tries to diversify their funding streams. The HCF also receives federal
funding, donations from private foundations and individual contributions. The HCF engages
donors in their programs and activities as a way to increase their connection to the organization.
Many corporations volunteer at different HCF program events such as the Hispanic Heroes, and
participate in different planning committees. In terms of sustainability, and given the small staff at
the HCF, the volunteer model has always been utilized since the organization started.
The fundraising efforts have changed over time primarily due to the growth in the program. When
the program was only located in one region, the efforts were much more localized. As a national program,
the fundraising efforts are focused to capture donor interest at the local, regional, and national
level. HCF attempts to build local gifts into regional or national gifts. Additionally, as the program
now serves many more students per year, they have found that the average gift amount has increased
over time. The board meets twice a year to discuss fundraising strategies and approve budgets. However,
the board is not involved in day-to-day decision making on fundraising strategies.
It was noted that the lack of an endowment creates a challenge to making strategic investments in
the program. This results in program expansion being dependent on financial support received from
the community. This presents another challenge because many communities heavily populated with
Hispanics lack the funds necessary to bring the program to their region. Further, many potential
funders have not been interested in investing in the program because it is not present in key Hispanic
markets such as Chicago, New York, and Miami.
Educational Policy Institute 88 www.educationalpolicy.org