The Faculty and Staff Campaign started the 2009-10 academic year with a kick-off breakfast on Sept. 15. More than 150 university employees from across campus came to the Marvin Center for coffee, bagels and a picture with GW’s George mascot.
“It was a great way to start off the campaign this year,” says David Anderson, who works in the Division of Development and Alumni Relations and planned the breakfast. “The campaign last year ended with a wonderful donor reception at the Alumni House in which President Knapp came and spoke to the faculty and staff donors. Our breakfast in September was a perfect way to follow up.”
Since the kick-off breakfast in September, nearly 200 faculty and staff members joined the campaign. And for this fiscal year, a total of 253 people have pledged $93,000 to support the GW Power and Promise Fund for student aid, research and many other areas.
With the help of a Faculty and Staff Campaign Committee and a new direction in recent years, the campaign is engaging more and more faculty and staff and encouraging them to give to the University.
“Previously, the campaign focused on one designation, the Stephen Joel Trachtenberg D.C. Scholarship Fund,” says Carissa Ciuca, director of the GW Annual Fund. “Over the past couple of years, we expanded the campaign by encouraging people to donate to any area of the University that they feel close to.
“The George Washington University’s Power and Promise Fund for student aid initiative remains an area of philanthropic interest for faculty and staff members, but we are also seeing many gifts directed to the schools or to the specific area where faculty and staff work,” she adds.
Leslie Jacobson, professor of theatre and dance and a member of the Faculty and Staff Campaign Committee, says, “At the end of the day, we at GW can feel we’ve contributed to the general good. As a faculty member, I give to the GW Faculty and Staff Campaign because I believe in what we do here. The campaign lets me direct my gift to the program and/or department I choose and to support student scholarships as well as other academic initiatives. I am proud to be part of the tradition of giving to GW, which starts with those of us closest to the University.”
The Faculty and Staff Campaign is the primary method for University employees to make contributions to GW. The GW Annual Fund is always looking for volunteers. If you would like to help or have any questions, please contact Chris Brooks at (202) 994-9386.