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This content was published: June 21, 2019. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

International organization recognizes PCC Foundation with two big awards

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The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has awarded the Portland Community College Foundation with two of its biggest honors.

As the college’s philanthropic organization, the PCC Foundation is the recipient of the CASE Circle of Excellence Award and the Educational Fundraising Award for 2019. The volunteer-led CASE is a global nonprofit membership association of educational institutions, and helps develop the communities of professional practice in alumni relations, fundraising, marketing, student recruitment, stakeholder engagement, crisis communications and government relations.'Save a Seat' poster image

CASE honored the Foundation with the Circle of Excellence Award for its “Save A Seat” Campaign. The Foundation launched its annual faculty, staff and retiree campaign in 2018, highlighting various ways the community can support PCC’s hardworking student population. By making a gift to fund scholarships, campus food pantries or emergency grants, PCC employees and retirees improved student access to resources to help them in their college journey. The series of hand-illustrated images were conceived and designed by PCC alumni Alla Nikiforov, Warren Gunn and Ryan Bunao.

“Employees and retirees know the immense challenges PCC students face, and this campaign allowed the community to come together and provide wraparound services to ensure equitable student success,” said Ann Prater, executive director of the PCC Foundation. “The campaign encouraged donors to ‘save a seat’ so students could afford to learn, and not let hunger or setbacks slow them down.”

The CASE Educational Fundraising Award is an annual honor given to exceptional fundraising programs at educational institutions in the United States. The PCC Foundation was one of only ten community colleges receiving the award in 2019. CASE annually recognizes exemplary fundraising programs and activities, and noted that the PCC Foundation showed, “the highest levels of professionalism and best practice in fundraising efforts.”

Here’s a complete list of CASE Educational Fundraising Award winners.

And, the complete list of Circle of Excellence Awards winners.

About James Hill

James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »