AUGUSTA -- As colleges across the United States brace for a drop in donations and scale back ambitions accordingly, the University of Maine at Augusta will press on with plans to develop a fundraising operation from the ground up.

The university's new development operation has been a priority on campus since President Allyson Hughes Handley arrived in March, promising to ramp up fundraising efforts at a college that has rarely pursued outside donations during its 42-year history.

And although the national financial meltdown this fall will likely slow down -- if not stop -- growth in donations to nonprofit organizations, UMA Director of University Advancement Joyce Blanchard said the college will continue laying the groundwork for raising outside money.

In November, UMA will launch an annual giving campaign, appealing to alumni and community members with phone and mail solicitations. The college will also ask for support from faculty and staff members.

At the same time, Blanchard said, UMA will prepare to appeal to deep-pocketed donors. That task could become easier if a large percentage of alumni and employees make small donations, she said.

"Many outside donors, they want to know that," Blanchard said. "What's the commitment level?"

In the spring, Handley appealed to graduating students to make small donations or volunteer. It was an effort to restart a dormant UMA alumni association.

"It didn't provide a lot of money or pledges," Blanchard said of the spring appeal. "But, more than anything, the major focus of a development office, we're really trying to create a culture of philanthropy."

That culture of philanthropy might become more difficult to cultivate as the country reels from a financial crisis, experts say, but it is far from impossible.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education, an organization that works with college fundraisers, advises its members to persist with fundraising efforts.

"This is not the time to retreat or retrench," John Lippincott, the council's president, said recently in a statement. "On the contrary, fundraisers should be spending more time with donors, sustaining and building relationships that will endure when the economic situation has stabilized."

At the same time, according to Lippincott, colleges and universities should rethink expectations.

In July, the council projected 5.3 percent philanthropic growth at colleges and universities for 2008, down from the 7 percent average annual growth over the last 20 years.

A September report by the GivingUSA Foundation advised nonprofit organization leaders to expect slowed growth -- not negative growth -- in donations during economic downturns this fall.

An institution that is starting to build a fundraising infrastructure has nothing to lose by forging ahead with its development plans, said Eileen Heisman, president of the National Philanthropic Trust, a Jenkintown, Pa., charity that advises wealthy donors.

"New programs, you're going to work on attracting new donors anyway," she said. "Could last year have been a little bit better? Probably. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it because now's not a perfect time."

Blanchard agreed, joking that the giving environment can only improve in future years.

"I think the framework needs to be in place regardless of what the economic conditions are," she said.

Blanchard said UMA has not yet set donation targets and has had no reason to reset expectations.

"We're not changing course at all, just being mindful that it's a difficult time for people to give because of personal expenses," she said. "We want to be sensitive to that."

While multiple U.S. colleges have said they will delay major construction and renovation projects, not all are putting off fundraising campaigns.

On Oct. 11, Boston College launched a $1.5 billion capital campaign, its largest yet. College officials told The Boston Globe they hoped to reach their goal in five years.

In Augusta, UMA would be wise to take a similar long-term view and actively seek donations, said Heisman of the National Philanthropic Trust.

"The idea that you shouldn't do it now because the economy's bad is kind of short-sighted," she said. "You always have to plan for the future."

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811,

Ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com