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October 13, 2005

Internal giving campaign launched

The Pitt Annual Fund kicks off its internal campaign today with a goal of raising more than $1.557 million in donations from faculty and staff.

University employees can expect a mailed solicitation the week of Oct. 17 and, starting in November, a follow-up phone call seeking support.

Fiscal year 2004 saw 2,900 employees give $1.528 million. Last year, although internal contributions dipped slightly below $1.5 million, 600 employees made first-time donations to the campaign, raising the participation level to about 32 percent with 3,500 donors out of approximately 11,000 University employees.

What’s more, those donors dug a bit deeper. The average gift from faculty and staff members was $421, greater than the average $336 Annual Fund donation from all sources.

Joseph L. Junker, manager of annual programs at the Office of Institutional Advancement, said this year’s internal campaign goal is to raise more than $1.557 million and increase the number of faculty and staff donors by 4-8 percent by the end of June.

The Annual Fund differs from the Discover a World of Possibilities capital campaign begun in 1997 to strengthen University programs and fund construction and renovation. To date, the capital campaign initiative has raised $815 million toward a goal of $1 billion by 2007.

Money raised in the Annual Fund campaign is allocated to some 4,400 areas, Junker said. Among them are scholarship funds, endowed chairs, classroom enhancements, libraries and student resource funds.

Donors may designate their contribution toward a specific school or college, to scholarship support or simply for the University’s unrestricted use.

Employees may opt to give via payroll deductions tailored to fit individual budgets.

“We can work with any size gift and any time frame,” Junker said. For example, a $1,000 annual gift can be divided into monthly deductions of $83, or a $25 gift can be spread out at the rate of $5 a month for five months, he said.

Credit card donations also are accepted, and actually preferred, Junker said. Using plastic not only cuts processing costs but also gives the University immediate use of the donation, he said.

Annual Fund gifts from all sources — alumni, friends, faculty and staff — last year totaled $14 million with 44,000 donors participating.

Information on giving is available on line at www.giveto.pitt.edu.

—Kimberly K. Barlow

Filed under: Feature,Volume 38 Issue 4

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