The alumni newsletter of Antioch College Fall 2004
The alumni newsletter of Antioch College Fall 2004
On July 1, 2004 the Annual Fund became The Fund for Antioch College. This change reflects the funds importance and direction according to the new Director of Major Gifts & Annual Giving, Mark Swanholm ’92.
“The importance of raising money to support the College’s annual goals can’t be underestimated. The money raised also has impact far beyond the year in which it is booked – it helps improve retention of students, the quality of the classroom experience and other things that aren’t measured on a fiscal calendar. For that reason, we made the decision to elevate the status of the program in our minds as well as those of our donors,” said Swanholm.
The change to The Fund for Antioch College also comes with other changes to the program. As a means to emphasize that donors are investing in the College The Fund for Antioch College has developed five Investment Focuses. These Investment Focuses allow a donor to select a critical area of need for the College and target their gift to that area. According to Swanholm these can be thought of as funds within The Fund.
“The focuses are similar to a mutual fund. The categories give you as a donor a good idea of how the money will be spent but they are also broad enough to allow the College the ability to fund the most critical needs within each category, the ones that will deliver the best return,” says Swanholm.
The five focuses are: Student Scholarship, including gifts to financial aid, co-op development and community scholarship; Faculty Development, to assist faculty in course development, professional development and other needs; Campus Life improvements, to fund improvements to buildings, events on campus or offsite deferred maintenance; Technology Enhancements, critical to the improvements of Antioch College’s technology infrastructure; and Antioch College’s Greatest Needs – an unrestricted gift that allows Antioch to determine the most important need at the time the gift is given.
In addition to the Investment Focuses donors may continue to give to our many endowed scholarships, book funds and other special programs that may be of interest to them.
“We want our donors to feel connected to the College,” said Swanholm, “and the best way to do that is to allow them to give in a manner that they feel is an appropriate investment in the institution. We also want donors to be able to track the performance of their investment over time and continue to make commitments to the College where they feel it is appropriate.”
The central theme of The Fund for Antioch College is “Renewing Ties.” In order to best succeed, the College must concentrate on building and rebuilding relationships that may have lapsed over time. The strength of these relationships is needed more than ever at the College as it enters into the Renewal plan.
The Fund for Antioch College also is closely aligned with the College’s ongoing capital campaign – The Campaign for Antioch College. Commitments made under The Campaign to support annual giving are now covered by supporting The Fund for Antioch College.
Swanholm explains the relationship, “The Campaign is about some very dramatic, concrete objectives and is being conducted for a specific amount of time. The gifts to The Campaign support changes for The Renewal Plan, buildings, and the endowment among other things. Antioch also counts on annual giving to support the needs met by the Investment Focuses. Together The Campaign and The Fund provide for the comprehensive needs of the College.”
Ann Townsend ’04 joined the Development and Alumni Relations staff in May 2004 as the new Assistant Director of Annual Giving. Anne will focus efforts on developing The Fund for Antioch College as an enhanced annual giving program. She brings excellent organization and communication skills to this important position.
“I’m excited to be able to work with alumni and other donors on building the future of Antioch College,” says Townsend. “This position allows me to work with everyone from student Phonathon callers to committed alumni donors to build better relationships and commitment to shared Antiochian values.”
As a recent Antioch graduate she understands the needs of the College and its current situation well. While attending Antioch, Anne studied creative writing and has gone on to be recognized in literary competitions. Anne can be reached at (937) 769-1200 with any questions on The Fund for Antioch College.
The Office of Development and Alumni Relations is always looking for ways to make the experience of giving to Antioch easier for our donors. In the summer of 2004, the office launched a renewed effort reach donors on the web. By providing an easy, secure place to make gifts to the College, the new online giving form is our latest improvement.
The online form can be located on the College website by finding the “Make a Gift” link located in various locations throughout the site or by using the following URL: http://www.antioch-college.edu/giving . Also checkout the revised Giving section under the Development and Alumni Relations section of the site for information on planned gifts, Campaign updates and more.
One of the best means to show your support for the College is through an anniversary class gift. Each year the College raises substantial gifts from classes returning to the campus for their Reunions. A class gift is established by concerned members of the anniversary class, in conjunction with assistance from the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. Classes are encouraged to start planning for class gifts up to two years or more prior to their reunion in order to have the best chance of success. Class gifts can be designated to support one of the investment focuses of The Fund for Antioch College or might create endowed scholarships or other gifts to honor a former classmate. If you are interested in organizing or participating in a class gift for your upcoming Reunion please contact the Alumni Relations Director, Callie Cary-Devine ’84, for more details at (937) 769-1200.