Leveraging Financial Support for Service-Learning: Relevance, Relationships, Results, Resources

Like other relatively recent innovations in higher education, service-learning and civic engagement programs often depend on grant funding and can become vulnerable in a context of tight campus budgets. Many community service-learning professionals (CSLPs) are concerned that their current financial resources are inadequate to ensure high-quality programming, accommodate desired growth, or sustain campus-community partnerships. Thus, two key questions emerge for CSLPs: What financial resources are necessary to support high-quality, well-integrated service-learning efforts on your campus? How can I ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts? If you are unsure exactly how to answer these questions, know first that you are not alone. Few CSLPs come to their jobs with extensive experience in leveraging financial resources. More and more CSLPs, however, are gaining the necessary skills. The purpose of this chapter is to provide information about the fundamentals of resource generation. We include a detailed discussion on internal and external allies, strategies, and resource providers; a series of reflection questions; and a list of information resources to help guide your ongoing work. [authors]