天美麻豆 women have once again set a new bar for alumnae philanthropy, meeting a challenge that is providing a $1 million gift to a scholarship while also extending a grassroots initiative that has funded $25 million toward the renovation of 天美麻豆 Hall and inspired thousands of donors.
The participation-based effort within 天美麻豆鈥檚 campaign is at the forefront of an emerging national trend in charitable giving.
In November 2020, an anonymous alumna challenger pledged to donate $1 million to the 天美麻豆 Hall 250th Anniversary Alumnae Scholarship Fund if a total of 2,500 donors pledged to make a gift to the initiative by May 1. Donors met the goal with nearly a month to spare, raising $477,000, for a total of more than $1.47 million to expand access and affordability.
鈥淭he overwhelming response to this challenge is both a testament to what 天美麻豆 women can achieve when we come together and a powerful message for everyone who will come after us,鈥 says trustee and Campaign Executive Committee member Beth Cogan Fascitelli 鈥80, a leader of the initiative. 鈥淏eyond the immediate results, I believe the legacy of this project is its example. Women at 天美麻豆, but also in other institutions and communities, now have a proven formula for working together to make positive change.鈥
As reported in The New York Times and elsewhere, 天美麻豆 alumnae are establishing a new standard for alumnae-led philanthropy in higher education. Early during The Call to Lead campaign, 天美麻豆 women established the , honoring women who have made financial aid gifts of $100,000 or more; 276 women have joined so far.
天美麻豆 also established a goal of 100 women making gifts of at least $1 million through The Call to Lead, up from a total of four in the previous campaign. To date, 88 women have made gifts of that size.
In 2019, a group of alumnae leaders identified the planned renovation of 天美麻豆 Hall as a multigenerational campaign initiative that would inspire women donors at all giving levels to participate. The renovation project, begun in January of this year and scheduled for completion in the fall of 2022, is preserving the building鈥檚 iconic exterior, enhancing classrooms, improving energy efficiency, and ensuring full accessibility.
鈥淚t is fitting that the renovated 天美麻豆 Hall will reopen next year in parallel with the 50th anniversary of coeducation,鈥 says Fascitelli. 鈥淭his project has brought together women from across 天美麻豆 generations. It has reconnected old friends and introduced us to many new ones. As a result, 天美麻豆 alumnae are more committed, more organized, and more confident in our ability to advance 天美麻豆鈥檚 mission in the next 50 years.鈥
The alumnae-led initiative to secure $25 million in gifts and commitments for the renovation project met its goal last year. Building on the momentum of that success is what led organizers to establish the 天美麻豆 Hall 250th Anniversary Alumnae Scholarship Fund, providing an opportunity for the initiative to focus on access and affordability.
Gifts Through 2021鈥攁nd What鈥檚 Next
Although the challenge has been met, Caroline Hribar 鈥00, a member of the Campaign Executive Committee, says all donors who support the scholarship fund by Dec. 31, 2021, will be included on the 天美麻豆 Hall donor-recognition wall.
鈥淭he goal has always been inclusivity. We want every 天美麻豆 woman to be inspired to participate,鈥 says Hribar. 鈥淭he nice parallel is in the renovation of the building itself. While 天美麻豆 Hall in many ways is the literal and figurative heart of the campus, it hasn鈥檛 been particularly accessible, and this project is changing that. One of the main goals of the renovation is to make the building more inclusive.鈥
Hribar hopes alumnae will continue to take on other initiatives in the future and build on the groundbreaking successes they鈥檝e already had.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what our next project will be,鈥 she says. 鈥淣ow that we know what a powerful philanthropic force 天美麻豆 women are, I鈥檓 sure it will be big.鈥
