Fund Chairs Make 2022 the Largest Annual Fund Year Ever

Each year, the Agnes Scott College fund chairs raise money on behalf of The Fund for Agnes Scott. Together, the 94 fund chairs of 2021-2022 — representing 70 classes between 1953 and 2022 — sent more than 10,000 solicitations via email and letters, asking their classmates to make a gift of any amount to help make the extraordinary Agnes Scott experience possible. Their efforts paid off. They helped raise a record $2,255,611, exceeding their goal by 9 percent and contributing to the overall total for The Fund for Agnes Scott of $3,090,572 — the greatest amount raised in the college’s history.

Fund chairs are elected on Alumnae Weekend during their reunion at the same time as the other class officers. Some choose to serve for just five years, and some stay on for 10-15 years or more. At the start of each fiscal year, the fund chairs are provided with a class dollar goal and donor goal. They then send creative and competitive appeals out to their classmates. Classes in their reunion years compete to win trophies, including one for the most dollars given for The Fund for Agnes Scott.

For their 50th reunion in June 2022, the class of 1972 “swept” the trophy categories, winning the highest reunion class gift ($285,551), the highest reunion class gift to all funds ($1,227,318), the highest reunion class participation (64%) and the Fideles Award, recognizing reunion classes with the highest percentage of classmates who are Fideles Society Members (43% of the class of ’72 are members).

“Alumnae Weekend was an amazing experience for the class of ’72 as we came together to celebrate our 50th reunion,” says Betty Duncan, who served as fund chair for her class. “Although we ‘left’ 50 years ago, a sense of Scottie sisterhood clearly remains. And those deep-seated feelings of spirit, devotion and love for Agnes Scott were experienced by all of us as we proudly accepted the four reunion trophies.” Duncan credits their successful fundraising efforts to committed class members, strong leadership by class officers and fund chairs and support from Agnes Scott’s development office.

The classes of 1957, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1984, 1985, 2007 and 2016 also exceeded their fundraising goals. The class of 2013, led by fund chair Jessica

Farmer Chait, earned the Mollie Merrick Trophy for highest class gift to The Fund for Agnes Scott and highest class participation.

“Our fund chairs are vital to helping The Fund for Agnes Scott team raise critical funds for the college,” says Kalia Edmonds, director of The Fund for Agnes Scott in the Office of Development. “These gifts support every aspect of campus, including innovative educational experiences like SUMMIT, faculty research and student life and help make an extraordinary Agnes Scott education possible through student scholarships. Without question, we could not provide this level of excellence without the incredible dedication of our fund chairs and the generosity of the Agnes Scott community.”