Alumni volunteers directing campaign to success

Leadership in a fundraising campaign takes many forms and many faces. The president and board of trustees strategize and conduct research to set the goals and priorities; staff members cultivate gifts and encourage potential donors; and faculty set examples for the alumni community with their enthusiasm and support.

But even more important are those alumni, parents and friends who choose to champion the effort — who envision their gifts coming together to accomplish a truly momentous goal for the institution they support.

Earlham College has thousands of donors who reinforce their beliefs in the mission of the College through financial support. Among those thousands are small groups of people who take an extra step in their support of Earlham — our alumni volunteers.

Twenty-six of these volunteers, generous donors themselves, are devoting their time to the National Leadership Council (NLC). Assisting the College in meeting its fundraising objectives, the NLC volunteers are crucial to the success of Purpose and Passion: The Campaign for Earlham.

Volunteers work in collaboration with College staff to determine strategies for donor prospects and identify fellow alumni who might wish to contribute to Earlham.

"We are grateful that so many Earlhamites from around the country have been willing to volunteer to ask others for their support of the campaign," said Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jim McKey '78. "Volunteers set an example to others by being generous donors themselves and willingly devoting time to explaining why gifts to the campaign will strengthen Earlham.

"Those of us on the staff who get to participate with NLC members on calls to donors observe their enthusiasm and commitment."

Members of the group are kept quite busy. They attend meetings, strategize with staff and one another, and even accompany members of Earlham's Development staff on donor visits.

"You can feel their enthusiasm just by being in the room when we meet," said Mary "Shorty" Birenbaum '61, chair of the NLC. "From the beginning, when prospective council members said, 'Yes, I'll work on the campaign,' to their amazing willingness to travel to campus for annual meetings, to their requests to be used even more often than they've been asked — I've found this to be an extraordinary group.

"I hope we'll find meaningful ways to keep these people involved once the campaign winds down."

Through the leadership of the NLC, Purpose and Passion: The Campaign for Earlham is doing quite well on its way to the $60 million goal. And, while the economic downturn weighs on the minds of all Americans — and, in fact, everyone around the globe — the total number of donors to Earlham actually increased by five percent in 2008.

At a time when so many must be wise about where they allocate their money, Earlhamites overwhelmingly show they believe the College is a valuable place, worthy of their support.