The Bakersfield College Foundation has started its first Employee Giving Campaign. The BC Foundation has asked the employees at the college to donate, either monthly or on a one-time basis, to benefit scholarships and programs on campus.
The campaign has been set to show the community that BC has internal support. In November, the Foundation plans to begin its first general fund drive, The Renegade Fund, with the Bakersfield community.
Hannah Egland, BC donor relations coordinator, explained that the campaign has been debated for some time now and is relatively new in a community college setting.
“My hope is that people will want to participate. The Foundation is here to support the whole campus community,” Egland said.
Since 1975, the BC Foundation has raised money for student scholarships. With the dwindling state revenue, the Foundation has expanded to raise money for classrooms, equipment and other necessary items for a learning environment.
With the campaign, BC employees donate money to the Foundation, which directly goes to benefit BC and its students with scholarships and to benefit programs that have taken hard budget reductions.
“It’s not about the money. It’s about participating,” Egland said.
Executive Director of the Foundation Mike Stepanovich explained that the key things the campaign gives is the message it sends to the community and that the BC community supports the mission of the college.
“The private support for public education has never been more important,” Stepanovich said.
Stepanovich also added that, “It is essential for foundations to provide work with private donors to support the mission of the college.”
John Gerhold, BC academic senate president and on the board of directors for the Foundation, said that, “It’s not always easy for faculty to see where money is spent on programs or equipment.”
With the campaign, employees can designate where their money is spent whether it be scholarships or classroom equipment.
It is visible evidence to see where their money is going.
Gerhold said, “I hope we get in the habit of giving and in the habit of looking at campus ways to support the goals of the college.”