The investigation of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the University of KwaZulu-Natal Foundation’s fundraising efforts.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
The study investigates the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the
fundraising efforts of the UKZN Foundation. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic
has made a devastating impact on the lives of many people and the economies of
many countries. The pandemic affected a lot of sectors in the economy including the
higher education sector.
The University of Kwazulu-Natal was under pressure to ensure they provide the
required tools to carry out online learning and teaching. The UKZN Foundation,
which remains the fundraising arm of the University of Kwazulu-Natal, had a
responsibility to appeal to both existing and potential donors to support the university
in light of the pandemic and the demands that came with it. The UKZN Foundation
had to formulate strategies and plans to ensure they alleviate the pressure from the
university by appealing for more funds. The outbreak of the pandemic affected the
state funding for universities substantially, the education department had to
reallocate funds so to prioritize challenges brought about by the outbreak of the
pandemic. The outbreak caused universities to undergo a serious financial strain.
Universities had to review their budgets so to ensure they remain afloat and can
carry their day-to-day costs.
Due to financial pressures experienced by the UKZN in light of the pandemic, thirdstream
income became a priority to support university needs. Despite organizations
holding back, as far as pledging is concerned due to Covid-19, the UKZN Foundation
is still required to appeal, and source funds to support the university.
This study’s objectives centred around establishing whether the UKZN foundation
was able to achieve its income and donor targets in light of the Covid-19 pandemic;
exploring the extent to which the foundation has been impacted in meeting project
demands; investigating whether the foundation’s stakeholders and relationship
management have been affected by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and
establishing if the foundation was able to remain in alignment with the requirements
of the UKZN strategy in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. A qualitative research method was adopted for this study and interviews were
conducted with external donors, UKZN foundation management staff, and other
UKZN employees. The findings from the study indicate that despite the economic
pressure brought about by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic at the University
of Kwazulu-Natal, the UKZN Foundation was able to raise a substantial amount of
funds to support the university to provide effective remote teaching and learning in
the light of the pandemic. This study shows that the pandemic brought a lot of
challenges to the academic sector and that the University of Kwazulu-Natal endured
a lot of financial pressure. Despite the economic pressures, the UKZN Foundation
was able to appeal to donors to support the University of Kwazulu-Natal. The UKZN
Foundation was instrumental in supporting the university with its remote learning and
teaching funding requirements.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.