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All-School Gift Committee members (left to right) Aashim Usgaonkar '13, Pam Vogel '12, Lucy Richardson '11, Louise Dufresne '13, and Aaron Grober ' 11, joined by President's Advisory Council co-chair James Kloppenburg '77. Not pictured: David Iselin '11, Ruby Cramer '12, Michael Moore '14, Natalie Hine '14. Photo courtesy Vassar College / Andrea Durbin. |
2011 All-School Gift Surpasses Goal
Continuing in the tradition of class giving but adding their own interesting twist, the Class of 2011 called on the entire student body to participate in the first ever All-School Gift. Their goal, in honor of Vassar’s Sesquicentennial, was to achieve participation from 1,861 students (a nod to the year in which the College was founded). Headed by a nine-person committee with student representatives from each class, the student fundraising effort surpassed its goal by 27 gifts to a total of 1,888 donors, which is nearly 73% of Vassar’s student body.
The 2011 All-School Gift will benefit Vassar’s Annual Fund, one of the key priorities of the Vassar 150: World Changing campaign. The Annual Fund was selected as a way to support every aspect of the college, and to make the Vassar experience possible for future generations, according to Lucy Richardson ’11, co-chair of the 2011 All-School Gift Committee. Another triumph of advocacy by the Class of 2011 was the creation of a new Annual Fund designation through which donations can specifically be directed toward sustainability efforts at the College.
In a remarkable show of support for this historic effort, the President’s Advisory Council generously offered to add $150,000 to the gift if the goal was reached. In the end, the Council also surpassed their goal, raising $271,500 as of May 25—with additional gifts still on the way. The Class of 2011 enhanced their giving by meeting a challenge of 80% participation and receiving a gift of $15,000 specifically for sustainability by an anonymous donor. To date, the total amount of the 2011 All-School Gift is approximately $300,000. –Andrea Durbin