The Daily Reveille
page 6
Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010
PHILANTHROPY
Many universities target students as potential donors
economy,” Vannoy said. “But the trend is that smaller gifts have maintained and increased.” But these donations, which include time and money, are not only being generated by alumni Sydni Dunn and wealthy Tiger fans, but also Staff Writer by current students and recent “It’s never too early” is a graduates. phrase college students are hear“There were 9,200 undering more and more these days graduate degrees awarded during — it’s never too early to start a 2008 and 2009,” Vannoy said. project, and it’s never too early to “Of that group, 1,824 undergradplan for the future. uates donated to the University.” Now universities are teachThat 19.8 percent of uning students it’s dergraduates is never too early to larger than the donate. general alumni According to donor population a survey conductand does not ined by the Council clude donors to for Aid to Eduthe Tiger Athletic cation, donation Foundation. rates and alumni “Students are Beverly Major participation in not just donating director of Forever LSU fundraising have in money, but in reached an alltime and service,” time low, sinking 11 percent from said Beverly Major, director of last year. As the numbers drop, Forever LSU. universities are targeting potenRebecca Templet, education tial donors prior to graduation. sophomore, is one of these stuDonation patterns have dents. Templet has worked for changed during the nation’s eco- the campaign for two years and nomic recession, said Cliff Van- encourages students to get innoy, executive vice president of volved. the LSU Alumni Association. “Donating is a chance for “Multi-million dollar gifts students to give back and really are down because of the stock show their Tiger pride,” Temmarket and the uncertainty of the plet said. “If they begin to give
Fundraising rates drop by 11 percent
‘‘
‘It doesn’t matter if you give $1 or $10,000. This is our University.’
back now, they will not only truly understand where their contributions are going but what their contributions are benefiting.” Loyola University New Orleans is a participant school in “Building Bridges: Young Alumni and Current Students,” a program designed to teach students the importance of alumni connections. Texas Christian University and several other schools are taking the next step by asking students for $1 donations. The University created its own effort through the leading fundraising campaign Forever LSU. Forever LSU began a silent planning phase in 2001 with a public launch in June 2006. The foundation set a goal to raise $750 million by 2010, the University’s sesquicentennial anniversary. The campaign is divided into academic units, each having their own goals. There are also 23 regions across the U.S. that foster regional committees to help identify potential donors, Major said. “[Forever LSU] has raised more than $710 million as of the end of May,” Major said. “We are very pleased with the result and pleased with the support across the Tiger Nation.” While the campaign has not actively solicited students
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
SHEILA DE GUZMAN / The Daily Reveille
Students seeking employment opportunities Tuesday night tour the Career Expo in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
through letters or e-mails, Forever LSU is catching the attention of undergraduates through other means. “We have built an amazing brand in LSU,” Major said. “The last two lines of the alma mater resonate with people.” Classroom PowerPoint advertisements, STRIPES program presentations and student-produced videos are ways Forever LSU is conveying the message of giving back, Major said. “Philanthropy is taught,” Major said. “It’s not instinctive.” Theatre performance freshman Matthew Reed disagreed. “You can tell us about why it’s good to give back, but you can’t teach it,” Reed said. “And honestly, undergraduates are struggling with the finances of living on their own.” Whatever the motivation, all
agreed that donating is important. “It doesn’t matter if you give $1 or $10,000. This is our University, and I think every student needs to take responsibility in commitment to community,” Major said. “There is no monetary return, but the rewards are so much greater.” And if students are encouraged to give now, they will be more inclined to donate later, Templet said. “I think we, as alumni and future grads, have responsibility to ourselves [and] to our fellow classmates to make sure every Tiger that follows us is as successful as we have been and then some,” Major said.
Contact Sydni Dunn at sdunn@lsureveille.com