Mission accomplished
More than half of university alumni contribute to Furman Fund

Put away the Tums. The nail-biting is over in Development.

Once again, the drive for 50 percent has been successful. In 1997, the university first set the goal of convincing more than of half of all alumni to contribute to the Furman Fund. And each year, Furman alumni have answered the call.

But reaching the remarkable fund-raising goal, and thereby becoming one of only a handful of colleges in the nation to do so, has not been without high drama.

For 1997-98, 50.2 percent of Furman alumni contributed. The number fell to 50.06 percent the next year. In 1999-00 and 2000-01, respectively, 50.34 and 51.06 percent of alums contributed. This year, 50.64 percent gave $1.854 million, just surpassing the goal of 50 percent and $1.85 million.

Furman Fund Director Phil Howard said volunteers learned they had surpassed the goal on July 1 after the morning mail had been received. "It made for a really enjoyable Fourth," he said.

Howard said that the events of September 11, a sinking stock market and souring economy made this year's drive a challenge.

"Other than the first year, this was the most rewarding year because of the challenges," says Howard. "There were so many national issues that we had to overcome. But the Furman alums really came through. That made me proud."

He added that Charlie's Challenge, a pledge by Mary Peace Sterling to donate an additional $100 to the James B. Duke Library project for every alumnus who made a donation to Furman before May 31, helped boost participation.

More than 300 volunteers and 20 staff members helped with the Furman Fund drive. The average gift was just over $100. The level of giving places Furman among the top universities in the country in terms of the percentage of alumni who support their alma mater financially.

Some external funding sources and publications use the percentage of alumni participation in determining recipients of grants and gifts and in determining national rankings of colleges and universities. U.S. News & World Report, for example, uses alumni participation as one of many factors in determining its college rankings.

In other fund-raising news, 76.2 percent of faculty and 48.4 percent of staff made contributions to Furman during the fiscal year that ended June 30, both records. The Division of Student Services achieved 100 percent giving.