Dr. Stephen Morgan
President, University of La Verne

Do you have any advice to entrepreneurs on the challenge of raising money?

Universities are a little different than many private businesses but I spend a lot of my time fundraising. Asking people to support the University of La Verne, to help us build building, to help us hire quality faculty, to help us provide scholarships. And I think the universal in looking for funding is that people are looking for a return on their investment. So if we're an entrepreneur starting a new business, people are interested in: What is in my return going to be and how likely is it that I will receive that return? When I am looking for people to give gifts, they also want a return. It's usually not a financial return, but it's a satisfaction that they have invested in an organization that makes a difference, that helps prepare young people prepare for successful lives. So if we're looking for money for a business usually people are looking for a return on that investment but also they're looking for a level of satisfaction that they have helped start something that is going to make a difference and that will be successful.