The Class Giving Committee of Fourth Year Trustees launched its Class of 2010 Giving Campaign yesterday.
The campaign will run until Final Exercises in May, by which time the organizers hope to have achieved a 70 percent giving rate, Campaign Co-Chair Matt Schrimper said.
"We always aspire to have as high participation as possible," he said. "Our true goal is to have as many students as possible in the fourth year class give back."
During the past few years, between 55 and 60 percent of the class have either pledged or given donations by the end of the year, said Jason Life, director of reunions and class activities. "That has been where classes have been and now obviously the class of 2010 is looking to step it up and have an even stronger showing."
Schrimper said the organizers feel that they will be better able to reach out to students than past campaigns, in part by getting students to feel ownership of what they give back to the University.
During the fall semester, the campaign will focus on educating students about the groups and organizations to which they can donate, Schrimper said, adding that this includes any academic department, contracted independent organization, Greek organization and the athletics department.
The campaign is reaching out to more than 300 CIOs to help inform University students about opportunities to donate, Schrimper said.
"In large part, our goal is to educate students that their gift can go to virtually any part of the University that has meant something to them in their time here," he said.
The campaign also will work to inform students about the importance of giving to the University, Schrimper said. Alumni giving rates directly impact the University's reputation and ranking, he said, noting that they determine 5 percent of its U.S. News & World Report ranking.
Student and alumni donations also are important because the University cannot simply rely on tuition and money from the state, Schrimper said.
"Private support for the University is more important than ever before," he said.
Life agreed that help from the state and tuition costs are not sufficient.
"The only way U.Va.'s able to provide that education is through generous philanthropic giving," he said, adding that it is the consistency of giving - not the amount of giving - that is important.
"It's not that the University needs major dollars out of every person," he said, "but the University does need consistency, knowing that it can count on that money year after year."
Because of this, the University is looking mainly for participation. "If their class achieves 70 or 75 percent, that would be fantastic for the University," Life said.
But fourth-year College student Katrin Schulz said she will be among those students not supporting the campaign, at least for the present.
"I'm a college student and I don't have money to donate yet," she said. "There's more pressing things right now for me to spend my money on."
Schrimper, though, said he expects the campaign to be successful.
"I have very high expectations," he said, "and I'm very hopeful that our class will step up to the challenge and respond with a great deal of pride in the University, pride in their class, and a feeling of ownership of this place that ... can be demonstrated through giving back to the University"
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