Oakland University student employees will pick up the phones during the months of March and April to call alumni and invite them to consider a gift in support of Oakland University. Monday through Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, approximately 15 callers will gather in the archives of Kresge Library to ask alumni to give to the school or college from which they received their degrees.
As an added incentive this spring, OU President Gary D. Russi is offering a one-time match for all alumni telefund contributions. Dr. Russi will designate payment of university matching dollars — 50 cents on the dollar — for every dollar contributed by an alumni donor, up to $5,000 (for a total of $2,500). In order to qualify for the match, all gifts and pledges must be received by June 30, 2012.
According to Starr Cornell, director for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, alumni participation in giving is an important metric when gauging a university’s success. “Alumni gifts leverage assistance from corporations and foundations, which often factor in the support of alumni and friends into their own funding decisions. If you’d like to help raise the profile of your alma mater and increase the value of an OU degree while benefiting current students, please answer the call or make your gift today and receive the match.”
The enthusiastic group of student employee callers receives valuable, on-the-job training, as well as skills that they can list on future resumes, plus it is fun for the students to speak with alumni and vice versa. As past telefund participant Randi Davis says, “It only takes one caller to brighten up the day of hundreds of alumni."
Alumni in turn are brightening the day for current students through their generous philanthropic support.
