Paine College is moving toward the $6 million goal of its Growing Paine fundraising initiative.
On Tuesday, Mayor Garnett Johnson presented the historically Black college with a $30,000 check toward the campaign, drawn from proceeds of this year’s Mayor’s Masters Reception.
“We checked and went back as far as we could, and we did not find a mayor utilizing that particular platform to raise money for Paine College,” said Helene Carter, vice president of Institutional Advancement, commending Johnson — who announced in March that Paine would be the beneficiary of the Masters Reception fundraiser — for his open support of the school.
Carter also said that the mayor’s open, public contribution inspired two other donors, who chose to remain anonymous, to give to the college. Johnson’s donation follows a $10,000 gift from HBCU Change, a philanthropic financial tech company whose app donates spare change from users to historically Black colleges and universities. HBCU Change presented its contribution during Paine’s spring convocation on May 7.
Paine’s website currently says that $550,000 has been raised so far, but Carter said that funds have already surpassed that number.
“We’re much further than that,” said Carter. “And we’re hoping that we will be at that million-dollar mark when June comes in.”
Carter estimates that two-thirds of the funds raised have been from alumni, though the school aims to conduct further outreach to potential corporate donors.
The Growing Paine campaign was initially called “$6 million in 60 days” when it launched in February. But as contributions steadily come in, the school still presses on to secure funds to renovate the dormitories, expand the school’s programs and grow the faculty.
“We want it to be able to end the fiscal cycle very strong,” said Carter, emphasizing that Paine, like other colleges, is really fundraising year-round. “No gift is too small, and, obviously, no gift is too large to give to Paine College.”
For more information on the Growing Paine fundraiser, visit https://www.paine.edu/web/giving/give-to-growing-paine.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
