Hidden in plain sight: student fund-raising in Romanian universities

Abstract This study provides a glimpse into student fundraising activities in Romanian public universities and of the university governance policies and practices linked to student organizations and student activities. The findings paint an institutional landscape whereby students were relatively active in fund-raising although the fund-raising culture was largely missing in their institutions. It shows that student fund-raising was mostly event- driven and with short term impact and that many fund-raising activities were aimed at addressing the shortcomings of an obsolete and rigid curriculum by providing optional activities. The universities exercised limited oversight over students’ fund-raising which led to a large degree of discretionary power over donor relations including donor cultivation and gift stewardship.