UCA Takes Community-Based Fundraising to the Global Stage at CASE Summit for Leaders in Advancement
The University of Central Asia (UCA) marked a milestone with its first-ever presence at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education Summit for Leaders in Advancement in Seattle, USA. The event brought together advancement leaders from the world’s leading universities at one of the sector’s most influential annual gatherings.
Representing UCA, Malik Kotadia, Head of Advancement and Public Affairs, delivered a session titled "Beyond the Gates: Building Trust at Source," drawing on UCA's community fundraising pilots to support some of the most marginalised communities in the mountain areas of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.
The session explored how local relationships, transparency, and shared ownership of outcomes can generate a culture of philanthropy that is durable rather than transactional. Kotadia also emphasised that trust has to be built before giving can happen, rather than alongside it or after it. He highlighted the broader, institutional dividend of this approach: strengthening UCA’s position as an active, responsible, and integrated part of the societies it serves.
The presentation placed UCA’s experience within a broader challenge facing universities globally. As institutions navigate increasing financial pressures, changing expectations from donors and communities, and growing scrutiny of the role universities play in society, advancement is increasingly about more than securing resources. It is about building relationships, demonstrating relevance, and earning confidence in the institution’s mission.
The session sparked active discussion among peer institutions, with particular interest from universities serving remote and rural communities about how community-rooted models might translate into their own settings. The response demonstrated that UCA's grassroots approach to advancement has relevance well beyond Central Asia.
For UCA, the invitation to contribute to this international conversation represents an important milestone. Twenty-five years after its establishment, UCA is bringing a distinctive Central Asian perspective to international discussions on higher education, philanthropy, and institutional trust.
The central message was simple: universities do not build lasting philanthropy by asking for support first. They build it by first becoming institutions their communities value, believe in, and see as part of their future.
Reflecting on the experience, Kotadia said: "It was a particularly valuable opportunity to represent UCA at such a distinguished gathering of advancement leaders from around the world and to test our thinking against those of leading institutions globally. Our experience at UCA has reinforced a simple lesson: if a university wants communities to invest in its future, it must first demonstrate that it is invested in theirs."
