4,694 and 6/30
Though by nature I am not a numbers girl, there are some numbers floating around the office that mean a lot to us. We have been trying to increase alumni participation in the College Fund, which supports students and faculty. Our stretch goal is to have 14,180 alumni donors to the College Fund by the end of our fiscal year, June 30th.
Right now, we have 9,486. That means we are 4,694 donors short of reaching our historic goal by 6/30. And right now I am sweating the 4,694 and really want us to reach it.
For those of you who will be getting the IRS check as part of the economic stimulus package, I would urge you to thoughtfully consider making a gift to Wake Forest. In a way - for me at least - that IRS check will be like free money, for lack of a better word. I was not expecting it, but it will be great to get. It doesn’t matter if you give $50 or $25 or $5 or even $1, your gift will help us tick down from 4,694 so we can reach this milestone.
Why does a gift to the College Fund matter? We use that money to help fund student financial aid. Good kids who are smart and deserving can leave WFU with less $ owed in loans and more $ given in grants (which do not have to be repaid). This is a great chance to pay it forward and help a current student leave here in a better position. I meet so many exceptional students in my job - and I wish you could see all of them too. They are smart, bright, resourceful, and I know will do great things in the world. They are why I give to the College Fund.
Anyway, if you want to help, I am looking for 4,694 alumni who will give a gift of any amount : ) In addition to feeling like you are doing the right thing philanthropically for today’s students, your gift will have another positive effect: we can boost our rankings in US News and World Report, because one way to earn points in that ranking is through the percentage of alumni who give.
Thanks in advance to all who help.