The University Advancement team announced that the 2011 Employee Giving Campaign raised $242,960 on February 2, setting a record and beating its original goal of $225,000.
“There is a lot of campus pride here and we attribute so much success to the fact that employees love working at Monmouth University,” said Jacqueline M. Bartley-Oxley, Associate Vice President of Development for University Advancement.
Bartley-Oxley oversees the campaign that allows employees to support the University through several donation opportunities. “We always start with appealing to them to let them know that they can give back to their own area,” she said. “We let them know that every gift counts whether it’s five dollars or $10, participation is important.”
Kevin Scally, Marketing Manager of the Annual Fund, recognizes the impact of the strategies used in this year’s campaign. “Our donor centric fundraising approach,” helped make 2011 one of the best fundraising years in the University’s history,” he said.
According to Bartley-Oxley, 67 percent of fulltime employees or 691 people participated in the 2011 campaign. A number of mini-campaigns were used to generate employee support including the opportunity to participate in the Hawk Walk Brick Campaign through which employees, students, alumni and families can personalize bricks to be placed on campus.
In addition, Bartley-Oxley mentioned that employees used the campaign to memorialize losses in the University community, including the Bertha Hughes Memorial Gift opportunity, which honors the late faculty member. “Bertha had been with the University for over 40 years,” she said. “With her great smile and welcoming demeanor, so many employees, alumni and friends were touched by her presence. They signed on to give in Bertha’s memory.”
To further generate support, volunteering Employee Giving Campaign Captains within each
University area reached out to colleagues to become donors. “It’s a great group of dedicated employees that go above and beyond the call of duty to help motivate others to sign onto the campaign,” Bartley-Oxley said.
Scally explained how the funds raised by the Employee Giving Campaign benefit the University community. “Since donors are able to designate their giving to the areas of their choice, it is too long to list every way giving helps students and academic programs,” he said.
Funds also have a direct impact on the daily lives of students, Scally commented. “Employee contributions are used for the University’s needs, such as keeping the cost of tuition down, providing scholarship assistance, maintaining campus infrastructure and preserving the natural beauty of campus,” he said.
Furthermore, the Employee Giving Campaign influences external support for the University, Bartley-Oxley said, mentioning that employee donations give foundations and grant-makers a positive image of the University. “A gift continues to keep Monmouth moving forward,” she said.
With the success of this year’s campaign, however, come ambitious goals for next year. Bartley-Oxley explains that attention is focused on increasing employee participation to over 70 percent of fulltime employees. She mentions that a dollar goal will be set and announced to the public in a few weeks.
Our underlying goal is to always exceed the success of the prior year,” she said. “The year 2011 was such a record year, but we’ll work hard to make 2012 an even greater success.”
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth University Photography
