Perspective

A few weeks ago, I attended the first graduating class ceremony of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (link) at the University of Connecticut School of Business. Thirteen veterans, most of whom had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, participated in the program and were honored. In addition to completing online course training, they came to UConn from California, Wisconsin, Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania for an in-residence program with our faculty.

The ceremony’s keynote speaker was William S. Simon, Jr., ’81 ’88 MBA (photo, left), the president and CEO of Walmart U.S. In addition to his incredible success and leadership in the business community, Bill also was able to speak to the audience from his perspective as a veteran, with 25 years of service in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves.

The event was by far one of the proudest moments I have had at the University of Connecticut.  To witness how grateful these veterans were and to hear their stories of war and heroism was truly inspiring. Several of them said that they participated in this program because they want to take control of their own destiny by developing their own business opportunities.

To listen to the faculty describe what a life-changing event it was to work with them was moving.  I couldn’t help but admire that these vets were willing to face down enemies around the world to protect freedom and now were willing to enter into a very difficult economic climate with their bold ideas and hard work.

The graduation ceremony was also a wonderful reminder of perspective in our daily lives. Best of luck to all of the veterans who graduated in this first class, as well as those to come. And a special thank you to the donors who have contributed so far in support of this wonderful program; you can read just one example of such a donor here.

You are also invited to make your own gift to support veterans outreach efforts at the School of Business. What a great way to honor service to our nation, encourage entrepreneurs and support the University.

UConn Memories

I really enjoy our newest video, which focuses on how alumni can give back to the University and help the current generation of UConn students make some great memories of their time at the University.

Thanks to Caroline and all of our donors!

- Brian

The Importance of What We Do

Sometimes, the best stories for us to share with the UConn community are those closest to home! With fall classes in full swing, and the economy still greatly impacting some families, private support is fulfilling the dream of a college degree for students like Kim. This note really touched me and reinforced the importance of what we do.

This past year has been a constant roller-coaster ride for everyone in my family. I have never felt the financial strains that my parents have to deal with until just recently. My parents were always good with making sure I had everything I needed and sometimes wanted regardless of financial circumstances. However, when my mom and sister moved to North Carolina so my mom can have a steady job, things went downhill.  When my dad finally joined my mom in North Carolina, the financial stress became so apparent because my dad could not find a job. I lost my fabulous health care and dental insurance, and while I had a part-time job here in Connecticut, it was becoming hard to keep up with cell phone payments, gas, and full-priced prescription drugs. Needless to say, things were getting hard for me. I was working maybe 8 hours a week at my retail job and it was never enough to be able to help my mom until my dad could find a job. So there would be months my phone account would get suspended because of failure to pay, credit card companies calling for payments, car maintenance and no gas in my car to get to my little job off-campus.  It broke my heart to take money from my mom because I knew how much she needed it for bills.  I recall a time when my mom called me and told me her direct deposit was soaked up by an overdraft fee and she had no money, so I  gave her my whole $150 retail check. My life seriously became the classic “living paycheck to paycheck” kind of deal.

However, this year was definitely a blessing for me and my family. I got a receptionist job on campus at the UConn Foundation (no gas, no commuting) that I always wanted; I was able to pay all my bills alone and even pocket some money to save and help my parents. But then I found out I would not be receiving my last loan and  my world turned completely upside down. I loved being a Husky and worked very hard to maintain good academics through everything I was going through; I didn’t want it to end before I even got started. I was afraid that because I could not meet my tuition for my last semester I would not be able to finish my UConn education. My mom and I tried every alternative to get more money for school, but it wasn’t looking good.

THANK GOD for the people I work with here at the Foundation. I honestly have not met more genuine people in all my life. Through a conversation with my supervisor, I discovered that the Foundation and the Division of Student Affairs had created a fund for donors to support students in situations similar to mine. Through an online application, I was able to nominate myself for an award from the “Students First Fund.” I was also nominated by my supervisor for this award. The same week of my application,  I was told I had received a scholarship that would cover the balance owed on my tuition. Not only did I receive this award,  I also found out my dad got a full-time job. Things are definitely looking up for me now.  I am so relieved to still be at school for my last semester and I really want to make Lynda Waldron, Becky McEnery and my Foundation family proud!

A Busy Summer

In addition to goal setting, planning and family vacation, summer is also a great time to meet with donors.  This summer has brought me to destinations throughout Connecticut.  One of my favorites was a stop at Groton Long Point, CT to meet with an alumni couple at their beach home and we watched a beautiful sunset over the Long Island Sound.  I also traveled to Dallas, TX with a colleague of mine from athletics.  If you like hot weather, I highly recommend Dallas in the summer.  It was still well into the 90’s each evening I was there.

I am pleased to report that what may sound like fun excursions, actually netted close to $1M in private support for the University of Connecticut for endowed faculty positions and student scholarship support.  It’s memories such as these that make this work so rewarding and I am truly fortunate to be able to witness such thoughtful acts of generosity throughout the year.

I would love to hear about your memories from the Summer of 2010!

Top Ten Reasons UConn Will Succeed

Private fundraising has helped enhance the University in  many ways.  At the outset of our last campaign (1998-2004), the University of Connecticut aimed to move from a regionally dominant to a nationally prominent position in higher education.  Changing the perception that our only opportunity to achieve excellence was through increasing state assistance was a substantial hurdle, and one that we still encounter today. Many potential donors want to know how they can make an impact and ask, “Will my gift really make a difference in a $600 million campaign?”

The answer is, yes!  The impact of a campaign gift is not only strengthening the quality of education today, but it is raising the bar of excellence for future generations of UConn graduates and current faculty, who have been the recipients of scholarship, teaching, research and curriculum development grants.  UConn is uniquely positioned to continue its upward trajectory and I have listed my top 10 reasons for this continued success below.

10.  Approximately 80% of our alumni reside between Boston and Washington, D.C.

9.  The University of Connecticut has made a strong commitment to increasing private giving.

8.  Our percentage of alumni giving is very high for a public university of our size and stature.

7.  UConn has increasingly become the “first choice” destination for top high school students throughout the country.

6.  The development of a sustained program to attract and nurture long-term relationships with potential donors.

5.  Access to a comprehensive learning experience through fourteen schools and colleges, including School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, School of Social Work and School of Law, at ten locations across the state.

4.  A professional and dedicated staff at the UConn Foundation.

3.  Involvement and commitment of deans and university administrators to fundraising.

2.  An increasing number of alumni and donor volunteer leaders.

1.  About 30,000 donors contribute to support the University of Connecticut each year.

- Brian

Supporting Students

In many ways, the biggest measure of any university is the success of its alumni. In my job, I’ve been lucky to meet some amazing UConn alums, who are at the top of their fields, accomplishing great things with their education. And even more frequently, I hear from donors who say that part of the reason they give back to the University is that they themselves received scholarships when they attended UConn. It’s not too difficult to make a connection, therefore, between the availability of scholarships and the ultimate success of UConn, measured in all of our alumni.

Private donors helped provide $10 million in scholarship and fellowship support last year at UConn, a figure that’s both very impressive from just a few years ago, and also very far from where we need to be. It’s for that pressing reason, especially in today’s economy, that we’ve made scholarships and fellowships a key fundraising priority of Our University. Our Moment.

It’s been my experience that donors tell the most amazing, heartfelt stories about giving when they recall the support they received while at UConn. In the last issue of our e-newsletter, for example, we published a story about Lindsay Bolt ’04, who paid back—month by month, bit by bit—all of the scholarship support she received while a student in the School of Nursing. That story, and all of the examples that we regularly update on our Scholarship Stories page, help to paint a picture of the power of scholarships. We literally are enabling UConn students to pursue their dreams and their aspirations, a point I hope we made in the recent video that we created to showcase what donors can do.

I hope that the next time you consider making a major outright gift, consider UConn for a planned gift, or answer the phone when one of our great Phonathon callers rings, you’ll consider giving to a scholarship fund. You have no idea of the power of dreams that we have here at UConn, and your ability to help make them come true.

- Brian

Summertime

People often ask me what it is like on campus during the summer when the students are gone. Some even think we get the summers off! While the campus may be quieter (and there are always students on campus!), I am here to report that fundraising at UConn does not, in fact, take summers off.

In fact, it’s among our busiest times of the year, heading into our fiscal year end on June 30. Over the last several days, I met with a senior executive at UBS to discuss their participation in Our University. Our Moment. The Campaign for UConn, provided a personal tour of campus for four alumnae who graduated from UConn in the 1960’s and were members of the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, and played in a special UConn charity golf tournament.  Much of the Foundation staff is involved in the same types of activities, all summer long, but also finding time to vacation with family.

In addition to our regular activities, many staff are also preparing for the upcoming UConn Foundation Board of Directors meeting at the end of the month. The June board meeting is a particularly important meeting at which we review and evaluate the Foundation’s fiscal year progress, campaign progress and learn about organization planning for the coming year. Our board meetings are significant; they take place three times a year and our volunteer directors travel from all parts of the country to meet and discuss important business. We have a very active board comprising both alumni and non-alumni, with all areas of specialty, expertise and interest. Take a look at our list of directors on our Web site sometime; our board provides the vision and direction for our entire organization, and we’re very lucky to have them. Many of them are at the top of their industries, and the insight they bring back to the University and Foundation is literally priceless.

So, summer is anything but slow! If you are in the Storrs area this summer and haven’t visited campus in a while, I would encourage you to stop by. And don’t forget to pay a visit to the UConn Dairy Bar while you’re here!

At UConn, Dreams Come True

Check out our newest video, highlighting the power of giving from both the donor and student perspectives.

- Brian

Alumni Weekend

Today was an exciting day for me! In addition to celebrating Alumni Weekend with many alumni, I met my very first astronaut, Rick Mastracchio `82.  Having completed two mission trips and six space walks, he sees things from a different perspective, literally. Over 150 guests participated in his presentation “Space Explorations: Past and Present.” You can read more about it, and him, at this link.

During his most recent trip to the International Space Station, Rick took a University of Connecticut flag and a flag with the number “6” on it, in memory of former UConn football player Jasper Howard.  Rick presented Jasper’s flag to members of the UConn football team. The presentation was emotional but made me proud to see the bond between Huskies from different walks of life and separate generations.

Are you participating in Alumni Weekend? You can find a calendar of events at:
http://uconnalumni.com/events/alumni-weekend.html

- Brian

Mileposts

The long Memorial Day weekend always serves as a kind of milepost for the development staff at the Foundation. The organization’s fiscal year ends on June 30, so each and every one of us in development tends to look back at the next month as a blur of activity as we aim for our goals. We had some good news recently when the year-to-date figures came in and some of the schools and colleges at UConn had already exceeded their fundraising goals for this fiscal year. All of us, though, are working long hours between now and June 30 to close private gifts that have been in the works for months. Sometimes the process of getting a gift takes months, even years. In the end, it’s really all about relationship-building, which is why having a skilled team of development professionals like ours is so important for the organization.

As we get closer to June 30, our fundraisers pay particular attention to those relationships they’ve been building with donors, hearing their hopes, aspirations and visions for where UConn can go. It’s powerful stuff, and our job is to try to align those hopes and visions with philanthropic opportunities that move the University forward. It’s both an art and a science, as well as a lot of work, and it’s only possible when our development staff work closely with the donor and the University.

My own personal highlights this past week included a meeting to close a seven-figure gift, closing a $60,000 gift from an alum of the School of Business to support the school, and working with our development professionals in the School of Fine Arts and the School of Engineering, as well as the Foundation’s grants and proposals writer, to submit a six-figure proposal for another donor.

This is an exciting time of year!

- Brian