Emporia State’s Now & Forever Campaign has crossed the $50 million mark making it the largest campaign in university history, officials announced at today’s General Assembly to launch the fall 2016 semester.
Launched in February 2013, Now & Forever: The Campaign for Emporia State University was envisioned as a five- to seven-year effort with a goal of raising $45 million. The campaign would support student scholarships, academic departments and initiatives that advance Emporia State’s mission to recruit, teach and retain students, while providing resources to assist them in graduating with lower levels of student debt and ultimately putting them on a path to a solid career.
In late December 2015, less than three years from that public launch, the working goal of $45 million was surpassed. As of June 30, 2016, a total of 11,933 people have participated. And those closest to Emporia State have given generously: 932 current and former ESU employees have given a total of $6.1 million.
The Now & Forever Campaign has also inspired our donors to achieve higher levels of generosity. The average amount given per donor went from $573.62 in 2011 to $2,159.84 in 2015, an increase of 277 percent in just five years. This historic campaign has afforded Emporia State many opportunities to advance the university forward. Just a few of those opportunities include the Rosamond Hirschorn Endowed Professorship in Vocal Music, the Dennis Shogren Scoreboard, the Richard C. “Dick” and Sylvia Renner Hawk Scholarship and the Thomas Learning Space in Cremer Hall.
“I had the opportunity to use the new technology in the Thomas Learning Center as a student volunteer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program this spring,” explained Payson Maydew, BSB in Accounting, 2016. “It was a great experience for us as students to apply what we’d learned in our tax and accounting classes to help members of the community. We got to show off the technology when we demonstrated what we were doing on the large monitors in the center.”
The fiscal year that ended June 30, 2016, represented a fourth consecutive record-breaking year for cash gifts and pledges, according to Foundation President Shane Shivley (BSB 00-Marketing). In addition to this $11 million in non-deferred giving, donors documented $3.5 million in planned gifts for a total of $14.5 million in fundraising activity for the fiscal year. The next four months represent a final opportunity for gifts to be counted within the campaign.
“NOW is the time for every single person who’s been impacted by our academic excellence at Emporia State University to participate in something truly special,” said Shivley. “We are looking for a tidal wave of new and repeat donors to help put an exclamation mark at the end of this incredibly successful campaign. Make a gift before Dec. 31 to be a part of university history FOREVER!”
For information about how you can be a part of Now & Forever, the Campaign for Emporia State University, please contact campaign manager Carol Cooper at 620-341-6463.