Fundraising And Friend Raising

The economy being what it is, private fundraising is more important now than ever before. And at Old Dominion, where a group of enthusiastic, dedicated students reaches out to alumni and parents from the development office’s calling center, they’re seeing positive results in both “fundraising and friend raising,” says Kristy Gilmore, the university’s assistant director of annual giving.

Gilmore supervises ODU’s Dominion Fund Calling Center, where students work in the evenings throughout the fall and spring semesters contacting alumni and parents, asking for gifts to the annual fund. During the calls, the students are also prepared to update graduates on recent changes at their alma mater.

Many alumni enjoy talking to the students, and some end up sharing stories about how school was, and what the campus and the surrounding area looked like, “back in the day.” Notes Dawn Richardson, acting director of the Dominion Fund, “It’s their touchstone to the university, a way to be engaged.”

The best exchanges, according to the student callers, are when the graduate or parent renews a pledge or pledges for the first time, and then spends a few minutes asking questions. “It makes you feel good when they ask you about your experience at ODU. And it’s nice to know that even in these circumstances, they want to help out because they feel good about the school,” says Cressida Leonard, a senior psychology major from Suffolk.

The annual fund is a staple of colleges and universities around the country.

The combination of state support and tuition has never been enough for Old Dominion to maintain its standard of excellence in providing high-quality education, but now, with funding from Richmond becoming more scarce and interest rates on investments not nearly as high as in the past, Gilmore says the need for private gifts is crucial. “The calling center is an integral part of the university.”

Each year, the students of the Dominion Fund Calling Center raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for ODU, and they’re working hard to maintain the success they’ve experienced in recent years. “The student callers realize this is a challenging time,” Gilmore admits. “However, we’ve learned that most people want to support their alma mater, and their donations are highly appreciated.”

For information about how to show support for ODU, visit www.odu.edu/dominionfund.