Despite the economic downturn, the 2008 Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign received over $135,000 in its first two weeks, according to the CVC Web site.
“The [CVC] is simply a tool that makes giving and supporting employees’ favorite charities easier,” CVC Chair Jim Fitzgerald said. University employees are able to donate to any of 1,400 CVC-approved charities through the campaign, which began Oct. 13, and students can also channel earnings from fundraisers for any of those charities through the CVC. One hundred percent of each gift goes directly to the charities, Fitzgerald said.
Because of the current financial situation, the CVC anticipates receiving less money in donations this year than in past years. Although University employees donated a record $888,888 through the CVC last year, Fitzgerald said, “this year, in light of the economic downturn that’s occurring nationally, we are more realistic about how well the campaign will do in terms of dollars raised.”
He said the CVC is “a little bit behind” where it was last year in terms of dollar donations but attributed this mainly to the times when reports are conducted.
“We’re very aware of the sacrifice that many employees will make this year to continue supporting their favorite causes at levels they have in the past,” Fitzgerald said. “The gist of it is there’s probably less disposable income this year than there was in previous years.”
“Times are tough,” said Tim Eckert, Student Affairs representative for the CVC. “I get that, and I know it’s hard to fill the gas tanks, it’s hard to get food on the table.”
Eckert works to increase participation in the CVC, he said, especially by emphasizing the fortunate position of University employees, who have been promised job security.
“We’re still able to give back to the charities,” he said, “and every little bit helps.”
Fitzgerald explained the importance of the CVC, pointing out that outside the University, charities are having difficulties obtaining levels of financial support similar to those in the past.
“Charities both nationally and right here in our local area rely on the generosity of U.Va. employees,” he said. “For many of them, the CVC donations they receive are their biggest line item in their budget, or the biggest one-time donation they may receive.”
Donations through the CVC have skyrocketed in recent years, Fitzgerald said, and he believes the current economic turbulence will not keep University employees who recognize that need from donating, even if less money is donated overall.
“For us it’s not only about the dollars raised,” Fitzgerald emphasized, but about the level of participation. Though figures of total dollars donated will not be available until the end of the 2008 campaign, as of Friday about 1,100 gifts had been donated through the CVC, Fitzgerald said.
The top 10 charities receiving donations through the CVC are “almost without exception local charities,” Fitzgerald said, which means that “the majority of the dollars stay here and help local agencies and non-profits.”
United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area was one of the top 10 organizations receiving donations in the 2007 CVC campaign. Kim Connolly, marketing and communications director of United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, said the organization provides grants to organizations in the local community and also presides over its own community outreach programs, such as the RxRelief program, which provides free medication to uninsured, chronically ill members of the community.
Connolly said donations from campaigns like CVC are very important to United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, especially this year because of the economy.
“U.Va. is the largest employer in the area,” Connolly said. “When you have so many employees giving, whether it’s $5, $10 or $20 dollars a week, it’s very powerful, and it has a very big impact on our community.”
Despite the current economic downturn, Connolly said fundraising is going well so far this year.
Eckert also noted the impact of small gifts in the local community. “For Madison House, for instance, $1 per pay period equals $60-impact on the community,” he said. “That’s a lot of money for just $1.”
Read More
Winsome Earle-Sears talks higher education in first U.Va. event of the campaign
By Ford McCracken | 13 hours agoA Jamaican immigrant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Earle-Sears is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia,
U.Va.'s Earth Day Eco-Fair 2025 spotlights sustainability advocacy
By Leigh Bailey | 14 hours agoStudents from Contracted Independent Organizations and University Office of Sustainability leadership programs each shared their unique perspectives about sustainability advocacy on Grounds.
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | YesterdayStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
