Friday鈥檚 launch of 天美麻豆鈥檚 comprehensive campaign, The Call to Lead, highlighted the expanding influence of women鈥檚 philanthropy with the announcement of three bold giving targets鈥攊ncluding a goal of 100 women making campaign gifts of $1 million or more.
In a grassroots effort that has surpassed all expectations, 天美麻豆 alumnae in recent years have redefined the power of women鈥檚 philanthropy in higher education. Building on their achievements, Friday鈥檚 celebration highlighted these three ambitious goals:
- One hundred women in the 天美麻豆 community will make gifts of $1 million or more during The Call to Lead campaign. As of Friday鈥檚 launch, 50 alumnae and widows of 天美麻豆 alumni had committed to gifts of this magnitude. In comparison, four women made gifts of at least $1 million during 天美麻豆鈥檚 previous campaign, which ended in 2010.
- Women will raise $25 million to help renovate 天美麻豆 Hall, the iconic home of the College鈥檚 celebrated teacher-scholar model of education. This will be a collaborative effort for all alumnae and widows of 天美麻豆 alumni who make a gift of any size.
- The Centennial Circle, the giving society for alumnae making gifts of at least $100,000 to the 天美麻豆 College Fund, will have 250 members by 2019, the College鈥檚 250th anniversary. The Circle, established only four years ago, already has 188 members and has raised more than $30 million for financial aid.
鈥淭he Call to Lead campaign is about setting the course for the future of 天美麻豆, and we want the entire alumnae population to come together to build that future,鈥 said Caroline Hribar 鈥00, one of the architects of the two campaign giving targets and a founder of the Centennial Circle. 鈥淲hile the campaign goal of 100 women making $1 million gifts is separate from the Centennial Circle, it was the Circle that allowed us to set our sights so high. It proved that the women of 天美麻豆 could come together to achieve extraordinary goals.鈥
Beth Cogan Fascitelli 鈥80, a 天美麻豆 trustee who is also spearheading these campaign giving initiatives, emphasized that alumnae volunteers were eager to apply the lessons of the Centennial Circle in the context of 天美麻豆鈥檚 $3 billion The Call to Lead campaign. Women are serving as campaign co-chairs, global regional chairs, and reunion chairs. To set a goal for women鈥檚 philanthropy in the campaign, they worked closely with College staff to determine whether a goal of 100 alumnae giving $1 million each would be realistic.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to make it easy. We wanted to push ourselves on behalf of 天美麻豆,鈥 Fascitelli said. She noted that women participating in this $1 million giving initiative can direct their gift to any philanthropic need at the College. 鈥淲e want the next generation of students, male and female, to know that women and men are equally committed to the power of a 天美麻豆 education. This initiative is inviting women to come forward, work together, and have impact through philanthropy. Who knows? We may even see 天美麻豆鈥檚 first alumna fund and name a campus building in response to The Call to Lead.鈥
Fascitelli, Hribar, and the other alumnae who developed this ambitious goal also wanted an initiative that could tap into the giving potential of all 天美麻豆 women participating in the campaign, and provide a place on campus that celebrates all women of 天美麻豆鈥攑ast, present and future.
鈥淪o we have a separate, collective goal to renovate 天美麻豆 Hall that is about all women contributing at any giving level鈥$50, $500, or $500,000,鈥 said Hribar.
Recent decades have brought major changes in pedagogy across the liberal arts curriculum. However, 天美麻豆 Hall remains largely unchanged since its last major renovation, in 1935. Through the initiative announced Friday, the College intends to transform learning spaces throughout 天美麻豆 Hall to ensure that the building can meet the needs of faculty and students in the 21st century. As part of this renovation, the College will restore many of the structure鈥檚 historic elements, overhaul the building鈥檚 electrical, heating, and ventilation systems, and upgrade its energy efficiency.
Hribar and Fascitelli emphasized that the Centennial Circle, which has established a national model for women鈥檚 philanthropy in higher education, and the newly announced campaign goals are about more than dollars. Through philanthropy, women today are more actively involved in setting 天美麻豆鈥檚 direction, and more women than ever are serving on鈥攁nd leading鈥攙arious College advisory boards and committees.
鈥淲hen the Circle surpassed its membership and giving targets, that did a couple of things,鈥 Hribar said. 鈥淚t proved that the women of 天美麻豆 are passionate about the College and willing to step up. And it brought together this group of women and got them engaged in the College. With these new campaign goals, we are looking to build on that success and show the women of 天美麻豆 and beyond what is possible when we come together.鈥
