How Will You Fund Your Workshop?
1. Build support and enthusiasm at your college. Most administrators are willing to underwrite proven efforts that increase persistence and retention. Don’t assume they know about the success of On Course workshops. Provide them with On Course data that will allow them to invest in your workshop with confidence and support: https://oncourseworkshop.com/evidence/institutional-studies/
2. Gather available resources. If there is no one source to fund an entire workshop, identify various pockets of money to achieve your budget goal. One college was able to fund a workshop by piecing together funds from over six different sources!
Next step: Talk with your Faculty/Staff Development coordinator to identify possible funds. Discuss your interest with Administrators who champion student success. Contact others who have brought workshops to your college and find out how they were able to underwrite the expenses.
3. Co-sponsor a campus workshop. What other groups, constituents, divisions, share your passion for student success? By teaming up, you can share the costs and the benefits!
Next step: Send an email to potential collaborators on your campus. Share your interest in the workshop and how it can benefit them as well since enhancing student persistence benefits us all.
4. Explore available grants: What federal, state, local grants are currently supporting efforts at your college? Many grants provide funds for on-campus faculty/staff development workshops that address equity, retention, learning and graduation.
Next Step: Make an appointment to see your Grants coordinator to identify current grant monies as possible funding sources.
5. Write a Grant! If no grants are currently available, apply for one. MANY workshops have been funded by grants from groups such as the Lumina Foundation’s Achieving the Dream, VTEA/Perkins, Federal Title III and Title V. These are a good place to start (but don’t stop there, as most states have grants focused on improving student retention, success, transfer and graduation rates, or ensuring more equitable outcomes).
Next step: Contact your college’s grant writer. Explore possible grants that fit your group’s needs/mission.
6. Look for community sponsors. One college hosted workshops for over five years, sponsored by a community business that believed in the empowering experience of the On-Course workshop to change lives and enhance career skills. Once they realized that On Course helped students develop the soft skills needed in the workplace, they wanted to invest in the future workforce.
Next step: Meet with your college’s community liaison to identify community leaders/companies interested in workforce development.
7. Invite colleagues from other colleges. Many colleges hold 10-15 spaces for faculty/staff from neighboring institutions. By charging a reasonable fee (typically $50-$100 per workshop day), this helps underwrite costs.
Next Step: Contact the Faculty/Staff Development person from colleges in your vicinity to explore this option. Share the cost saving advantage of attending a workshop locally, in terms of time, travel and expenses.
8. Co-sponsor a Regional Workshop: Travel expenses can represent a major portion of faculty development funds. Reduce these expenses by working with one or more colleges to sponsor a regional workshop. Share expenses by inviting other colleagues from the area to attend. The registration fee will supplement your budget needs.
Next Step: Identify one or more colleges with a shared commitment to student success and contact their Faculty Development liaison.
9. Minimize your expenses; package two or more workshops. Facilitator travel expenses can be reduced if you schedule two or more workshops consecutively. One college paired a two-day Introduction workshop with a Frontline Staff workshop and followed with a workshop on Equity and Diversity. Some faculty and staff attended more than one workshop, creating a synergy of interest and enthusiasm. These days, you can also schedule a virtual On Course workshop. This saves travel and food and beverage expenses, as well as modeling best practices in virtual learning.
Next Step: Identify people who would be interested in scheduling their On Course workshop in conjunction with your own. Not only can you share travel expenses, but you can build on the energy and interest of each other’s workshop participants. Hold a follow-up brown bag lunch to share ideas gained at the workshops!
10. Individual Travel/Conference Contributions. At one campus, each faculty member had only $200 annually for their travel/conference budget. Since $200 wouldn’t take them very far for registration/travel, one advocate emailed each faculty member to ask if they would earmark their annual funding to bring a workshop to their campus. Once they reached their attendance goal, there was enough funding collectively to cover the workshop costs.
Next Step: Check on individual funding sources, then bring together a group who is willing to pool their funds to support a campus workshop.
11. Special Funding Sources. Campuses sometimes have unspent line item funds that could be used to fund a workshop.
Next Step: Check with administrators to determine if such funds might be available and would be appropriate to improve student retention. Underscore the fiscal benefits of having 40-50 attend an on-campus workshop, rather than sending just a few people to a retreat center workshop.
12. Student Government/Organization Support. Some campuses offer significant funding for student government, clubs and projects. These student groups typically accept requests for funding events that benefit students on campus and some have determined that a workshop that increases student learning and retention is an appropriate funded project.
Next Step: Check with the student government adviser or reach out directly to student groups and organizations.
