Q. How would you describe Alumni Giving for Fiscal Year 2012?
A. Alumni giving this year can only be described as "record breaking." A total of 1,400 alumni donated to the university this past fiscal year. This surpasses our previous high of 1,123 alumni donors in 2007. Not only that , we also received a total of $493,086 in donations from alumni as compared to our previous high of $479,518 received in 2010. We broke records in both number of donors and amount donated. This is a significant achievement and all of the credit goes to our Ram Alumni.
Q. What led to these significant increases?
A. There were many significant factors that had an impact on giving and it all comes down to making the case support to our alumni and they, in turn, responding in a generous manner. Engaging our alumni in person, electronically, through social media and by phone allowed the university to continually tell our story. Providing real time updates on the success and advancements of the university on all fronts allowed us to lay the foundation for the appeal. All solicitations also emphasized the fact that all giving goes to support the academic success of our students.
Q. How does alumni giving impact the university?
A. Alumni support makes a difference in so many ways. The Alumni Participation rate is often used as measuring stick as to the effectiveness of the university. Alumni giving is deemed as a reflection of the way graduates value the education provided by their alma mater. Other potential corporate and foundation supporters often inquire about alumni support to determine if an institution is worthy of their investment. Alumni giving also serves as a tangible statement to our students that alumni support their efforts. When students understand that alumni provided almost half a million dollars for their benefit, these same students will be more inclined to support the university while they are enrolled and after they graduate.
Q. What would you like to share in closing?
A. It is most important that we say thank you for this significant level of giving. In all honesty, we cannot say thank you enough. Alumni support makes a difference and has an impact. The response to our solicitations has been tremendous. We also look forward to reaching new heights through our growing support from young alumni donors and other segmented appeals. In fact, we encourage our Young Alumni to look forward to 120-hour campaign for on-line donations. This campaign will begin on September 28th and we will announce activities and updates via social media. Thank you again and we are continually grateful for your generosity.