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Question:
Congratulations on achieving 53 percent participation and for setting records for alumni donors and unrestricted gifts to the College. Why was increasing participation so important this year?
Answer:
During the final four years of the campaign, our participation rate had leveled off below 50 percent. Ray ’56 and Susie Bruttomesso offered their help to try and motivate alumni to restore participation to above 50 percent, an achievement that had always been a mark of pride and distinction for the College. The challenge was quite successful!
Question:
How do annual gifts support life on the Hill?
Answer:
Through giving, alumni have a direct impact on the education of our students. Gifts to the Holy Cross Fund from alumni, parents and friends amounted to more than $7.9 million last year—representing six percent of the College’s budget. These gifts bolster funding for financial aid, academic resources and facilities. Additionally, this year the College introduced the Crusader Athletics Fund, giving alumni an opportunity to designate their gifts to athletics. The success of this program contributed mightily to our overall achievement this year.
Question:
To what would you credit the increase in participation?
Answer:
I want to emphasize that Holy Cross historically receives consistent and generous support from alumni, but The Bruttomesso Participation Challenge brought additional attention to the importance of participation by all. Our office received hundreds of calls from alumni who indicated that they were giving either for the first time or after not having given in many years. They said they were responding to the Challenge. It gave us an opportunity to remind alumni that giving, regardless of the size of the gift, is important.
Question:
What role did volunteers play in achieving 53 percent this year?
Answer:
The College is fortunate to have more than 2,400 class chairs, correspondents and agents. Many of them rallied this year. The Challenge translated into competition between some class volunteers—and a regular exchange of humorous e-mails as everyone came together in the final weeks. Nearly every class increased its participation. Giving from our youngest alumni showed the most improvement.
Question:
To what would you attribute the increase in giving from recent graduates?
Answer:
As undergraduates, they were taught to participate fully in the College and to make a difference where they could. The Challenge gave them a clear and simple opportunity to make an impact. Recent graduates (Classes of 2000-2006) achieved 48 percent this year— a record. Traditionally, 30-to-35 percent is common for recently graduated classes. It should be noted that, as students, most of these graduates experienced Fr. McFarland’s active participation in their lives on campus. This may have positively influenced their participation in the Challenge.
Question:
How does the achievement of this year compare with giving at other private, liberal arts colleges?
Answer:
Most schools like Holy Cross, with established giving programs, experience some decrease in participation during a campaign. While participation dipped below 50 percent during the final four years of the campaign, the national trend also reflects a decline in alumni participation. The increase in alumni participation by four percentage points this year is unheard of. The alumni with whom I have had contact since July are ecstatic and proud, as they should be.
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