JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

This is a time of economic, societal, and political challenges in higher education. Traditional funding models must change as governments decrease funding and often freeze tuition at a domestic level. As a result, there is an increasing need to diversify their business models, including revenue streams. Because of this, universities are more focused than ever on fundraising dollars. To diversify their traditional revenue streams, universities are increasing their international student recruitment efforts and are expanding their research boundaries as global actors and agents of change. Therefore, interest in raising significant funds from private sources is stronger than ever, leading to the need for a more sophisticated fundraising approach. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness about the critical role medical educators play in helping universities with their global impact and fundraising efforts. Medical educators must become agents of change and reflect on strategies to ensure the successful implementation of fundraising programs in academic environments toward achieving maximum impact.