Departments are good advocates for their programs.
You could then work with the development staff to seek private donors. Or, student groups on campus might be willing to do fundraisers. Try to build links within the college structure. However, after inquiring at my school, it was told to me that the problem is that a lab school may be going after the same funding sources as the college with means that we are competing against one another. I asked the speaker of the seminar about this and he confirmed that unfortunately this is a problem with most colleges and universities.