In 2015, we started keeping track of gift amounts and our alumni participation rate. According to Alumni Hall, the top-performing fraternities at the University (St. Anthony’s Hall, Phi Gamma Delta, and DKE) see annual participation around 20% (i.e. 1 in 5 living alumni make a donation) with an average gift around $100. During the 2016-17 school year, we achieved 15% participation and an average gift of $175, crushing our goal for the year. We’re halfway through the 2017-18 fundraising year and are on track meet our goal of $24,500, but we need your help.
The chart on page three shows which graduating years gave in 2016-17. You see strong performance from the Witmer Fund donors (’90-’96), as well as Masons (’08-’12) and Wilson Trust (’13-’17), but spotty coverage in the ’70s, ’80s, and mid-2000s. We need “era captains” from those years who are willing to send a couple of emails to their contemporaries every year to encourage them to give. Era captains would also help with outreach when planning for reunions. If you would be willing to be an era captain, please contact bob@virginiaalpha.org.
