The George Washington University community comes together at events throughout the year, including George Washington’s Annual Birthday Bonfire, Apple Day, Commencement, Colonials Weekend and the Service Excellence Celebration, among others.
Add to that list the annual GW Faculty and Staff Campaign kick-off breakfast in the Marvin Center. On Nov. 2 this year, more than 150 GW employees from across campus stopped by to grab coffee and a bagel on their way to work or to the opening of the Service Excellence Celebration.
The Faculty and Staff Campaign is the primary way for faculty and staff members to give back to GW. For the last three years, faculty and staff giving has been on the rise. The number of faculty and staff donors increased 45 percent last year and 70 percent this year to date. Faculty and staff support programs and initiatives across the university, including the GW Power & Promise Fund for student aid, student organizations, schools and academic units, the library and athletics.
This year the campaign is building a network of volunteers to reach the thousands of university employees. Faculty and staff members from across the campus have agreed to assist the campaign by serving as a contact person and encouraging their colleagues and coworkers to participate.
“I was surprised by how much fun I had volunteering as a campaign champion,” says Kim Acquaviva, assistant professor in the School of Nursing and director of the National Collaborative on Aging.
“The School of Nursing team seemed to really enjoy watching our participation rate thermometer rise. Within a month, their collective enthusiasm brought us just shy of 90 percent participation, which is pretty amazing,” says Dr. Acquaviva. “The campaign also provides a powerful tool for demonstrating to potential funders the level of commitment our faculty and staff have to our programs and the students they serve.”
“GW provides us with so much, and many people don’t even notice it. I am getting my degree from GW with the incredible tuition benefits, the least I can do is give back,” says Emily Liddle, who works in Human Resources and is enrolled in the Graduate School of Political Management.
If you would like to volunteer with the campaign or have any questions, contact Chris Brooks at 202-994-9386 or at [email protected].
To make a one-time or recurring online gift using your credit or debit card, please visit www.gwu.edu/give2gw. To give via payroll deduction, please download and print the form at http://go.gwu.edu/facstaffgiftform.