Two months to the day after the public kickoff of the $1 billion Campaign for Washington University, Central Fiscal Unit and school staff will launch their component of the campaign in a festive event from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Nov. 19 in the Athletic Complex.
A continental breakfast will be served and door prizes awarded, including a weekend for two in Chicago.
Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton will speak, along with staff campaign chairs Barbara Feiner, chief financial officer, and John Schael, director of athletics, and three staff members.
"This is everybody's campaign," said Jan Druyvesteyn, alumni and development coordinator for the staff portion of the campaign. "Participation and involvement are the most important aspect."
Feiner, explaining her enthusiasm for the campaign, said: "Washington University is a great place to be employed. The University offers a lot to its employees. It's nice to be affiliated with an organization that's moving forward -- and we can help make that happen.
"The participation of the staff in the campaign shows that we care about this University," she added. "It means a lot when we go out into the community to raise money."
Universities across the country have discovered that internal support for the institution plays a key role in garnering support off campus, among foundations and other donors. The goal of the campaign's staff component is, first and foremost, campuswide involvement. "While we hope you will be as generous as you can," wrote Feiner and Schael in a letter to staff and administrators, "the success of the staff campaign will not be measured in dollars and cents, but will be determined by the percent of us who participate."
Schael said he agreed to serve as co-chair because he has seen firsthand what capital campaigns mean to the University. The Athletic Complex, he observed, came out of the Alliance for Washington University campaign of the 1980s. "The Athletic Complex is really a University treasure," he said. "There are so many events that could not have taken place here without it."
The proverb "One generation plants the trees, while another enjoys the shade" sums up Schael's reasons for supporting the campaign. When asked, "What's in it for me?" he replies, "Nothing. Only the future."
The Campaign for Washington University was launched Sept. 19 and will conclude June 30, 2004. Its overarching goal is the University's accelerated ascent through the ranks of the world's premier universities. The staff campaign offers employees an opportunity to be part of the larger effort and seeks to foster a "strong sense of partnership and pride across the University," in Wrighton's words.
"Building a world-class university is a noble endeavor," Wrighton said. "The great research universities of the world educate men and women who become society's leaders. They offer the best chance of contributing to the betterment of our world. That's what this campaign is about, and the staff component offers employees a part in meeting this exciting challenge."
At the public kickoff in September, the University announced that $541 million had already been raised. Among employees who have already pledged, enthusiasm has run very high, according to Druyvesteyn. All members of the University Council, comprised of the University's deans and vice chancellors, for example, have pledged to the campaign, for a total of $1 million.
A gift of $500 or more, pledged over the full campaign period, will merit a "named brick" to be placed with others in a still-to-be-designated section of a campus walkway or courtyard. Staff members may name as many as four bricks, one for each $500 donation.
Gifts may be made in a variety of ways --one-time contributions, multi-year pledges, payroll deduction, gifts of securities or retirement funds, even matching corporate gifts from spouses' employers. The Office of Planned Giving can help with other kinds of gifts, including personal property, real estate or a life insurance policy. Donors may specify projects and programs they want to support.
Staff in the schools will take part in the campaign through the schools where they work, CFU employees through their departments.
