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The Rice Annual Fund:
Every Alum, Every Dollar, Every Year Make a Difference
We’ve all heard that every vote counts. It’s also
true that every dollar counts, particularly for the Rice Annual
Fund, where each dollar makes an important impact on the current
and long-term operations of the Rice campus.
The Annual Fund is so vital to the future of Rice that it was established as
one of the four core priorities of the Rice: The Next Century Campaign: specifically,
a goal of $30 million for the Annual Fund and unrestricted gifts. I’m pleased
to share with you that as of October 31, 2002, Rice has raised $25.5 million
toward this goal. We have also raised $411.5 million toward the overall campaign
goal of $500 million.
Two factors are key to ongoing success: participation and consistent giving.
Participation—no matter the amount—sends a strong, clear message
that Rice alums are very loyal to their alma mater. Between July 1, 2001, and
June 30, 2002, Rice benefited from approximately 37 percent overall undergraduate
alumni participation, an excellent result, particularly when compared to our
peer institutions such as Stanford, MIT, the University of Chicago, and Carnegie
Mellon.
Consistent giving—making a donation to Rice every year—yields impressive
results. Recently, Rice commissioned an independent client relations firm to
evaluate giving history and patterns of Rice donors. The analysis showed:
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Donors
who give every year, compared to those who give periodically, donate more than
twice as much during the same number of years that donations are made.
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If everyone who made a donation from 1987
through 2000 were to make a donation all in the same
year,
participation would increase to nearly
67 percent.
- After seven years of giving, Rice alums continue
to give annually throughout their lifetimes. Our peer institutions
included in the
study do not benefit
from the same degree of long-term, lifetime loyalty.
These findings tell a powerful story. As a result, we look
to you, our alumni, to begin contributing to the Annual
Fund to
increase our participation rate
and to continue your donations on a consistent, annual basis.
The students, faculty,
and facilities depend on generous donors to maintain the
standards of excellence that have become synonymous with
the name Rice
University.
Thank you for supporting the fund that supports the university. |
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Eric C. Johnson
Vice President
Resource Development |
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