Winter 2016: Alumni Giving

Do you remember the first time you walked on the waterfront with friends or that special person?  Do you remember the first time you entered the Big Café (or the new Café) and met a new friend?  It has been long believed that we do not learn from experiences, but instead, we learn from reflecting on those experiences.  Take a few minutes to reflect on the pivotal role Hampton University has played in your life – the tools you were given, the hard-edged thought process you learned, the friends you made and the degree you earned.  Undoubtedly, these things served as the main pillars of the life that you have built since graduation.   Without Hampton to serve as the foundation for your education for life, where would you be?  Who stood beside you on your wedding day, or provided a shoulder to cry on in your time of need?  It is very likely the answer to those questions is someone you met while attending Hampton University.

The education and experiences provided at Hampton would not have happened without the support of generous alumni who believed in the education and experiences that they, too, created at Hampton.  Currently, Hampton has an alumni giving percentage rate of just 26 percent.  To make that even more clear, if we line up 100 of our classmates only 26 of them donate financially to the University.  One can debate the details of why 26 percent.  However,  the goals are to increase alumni giving to 30-35 percent and raise $5M by May 2018 or by June 30, 2018.  Competing schools like Spelman boast a giving rate annually of over 40 percent.  Claflin University has a giving rate approaching 50 percent!  Why is it that Hampton ranks so low in alumni giving?  Is it because there is a gross misperception that your financial support doesn’t matter because the University appears to thrive without it?  If we want Hampton to maintain its prestigious status as a leader amongst its peers, alumni must provide financial support.  When Dr. Harvey solicits grants and funding from large financial and/or government organizations, the first question asked is “What percentage of your Alumni gives back”? Alumni contributions assist with off-setting student tuition, building maintenance, supporting Federal matching grants and under-pinning philanthropic Foundation support.

We know that HBCU’s like Hampton are viable, useful sites of empowerment despite what the media has suggested.  You may look at institutions like Morris Brown College, St. Paul’s College, South Carolina State University, Jackson State University, and now Southern University, and believe that what has happened to them cannot and will not happen to Hampton.  We are here to tell you that with low alumni fund raising participation numbers (like what has been provided above), anything can happen.

Hampton needs us! Please make it a point to assist the next generation of relationships and Hamptonians by supporting Our Home By the Sea.  In doing so, we also increase the value of our degree and solidify Hampton’s place as the premier institution for higher learning for our children, their children, and generations to come.  Someone once said, “We have not given, because we were not asked” Now, we are asking you to “FINANCIALLY SUPPORT OUR HOME BY THE SEA”.  Our challenge to everyone is to give back in any amount!  Any amount is fine!!  We need to increase our donor base!!

Please visit donateto.hamptonu.edu to make a gift that will impact our “Home by the Sea” immediately, or return one of the giving forms to the Office of External Relations, P.O. Box 6131, Hampton University, Hampton, Va. 23668.  If you have already made your annual gift to the University – we are deeply grateful for you.  Hampton is depending on us – we cannot let Hampton down.

Do you remember the first time you walked on the waterfront with friends or that special person?  Do you remember the first time you entered the Big Café (or the new Café) and met a new friend?  It has been long believed that we do not learn from experiences, but instead, we learn from reflecting on those experiences.  Take a few minutes to reflect on the pivotal role Hampton University has played in your life – the tools you were given, the hard-edged thought process you learned, the friends you made and the degree you earned.  Undoubtedly, these things served as the main pillars of the life that you have built since graduation.   Without Hampton to serve as the foundation for your education for life, where would you be?  Who stood beside you on your wedding day, or provided a shoulder to cry on in your time of need?  It is very likely the answer to those questions is someone you met while attending Hampton University.

The education and experiences provided at Hampton would not have happened without the support of generous alumni who believed in the education and experiences that they, too, created at Hampton.  Currently, Hampton has an alumni giving percentage rate of just 26 percent.  To make that even more clear, if we line up 100 of our classmates only 26 of them donate financially to the University.  One can debate the details of why 26 percent.  However,  the goals are to increase alumni giving to 30-35 percent and raise $5M by May 2018 or by June 30, 2018.  Competing schools like Spelman boast a giving rate annually of over 40 percent.  Claflin University has a giving rate approaching 50 percent!  Why is it that Hampton ranks so low in alumni giving?  Is it because there is a gross misperception that your financial support doesn’t matter because the University appears to thrive without it?  If we want Hampton to maintain its prestigious status as a leader amongst its peers, alumni must provide financial support.  When Dr. Harvey solicits grants and funding from large financial and/or government organizations, the first question asked is “What percentage of your Alumni gives back”? Alumni contributions assist with off-setting student tuition, building maintenance, supporting Federal matching grants and under-pinning philanthropic Foundation support.

We know that HBCU’s like Hampton are viable, useful sites of empowerment despite what the media has suggested.  You may look at institutions like Morris Brown College, St. Paul’s College, South Carolina State University, Jackson State University, and now Southern University, and believe that what has happened to them cannot and will not happen to Hampton.  We are here to tell you that with low alumni fund raising participation numbers (like what has been provided above), anything can happen.

Hampton needs us! Please make it a point to assist the next generation of relationships and Hamptonians by supporting Our Home By the Sea.  In doing so, we also increase the value of our degree and solidify Hampton’s place as the premier institution for higher learning for our children, their children, and generations to come.  Someone once said, “We have not given, because we were not asked” Now, we are asking you to “FINANCIALLY SUPPORT OUR HOME BY THE SEA”.  Our challenge to everyone is to give back in any amount!  Any amount is fine!!  We need to increase our donor base!!

Please visit donateto.hamptonu.edu to make a gift that will impact our “Home by the Sea” immediately, or return one of the giving forms to the Office of External Relations, P.O. Box 6131, Hampton University, Hampton, Va. 23668.  If you have already made your annual gift to the University – we are deeply grateful for you.  Hampton is depending on us – we cannot let Hampton down.

ALUMNI PARTICIPATION

U.S. Median Participation Rates: Generally speaking, in 2015 the trend of previous years continued with a downward movement in participation rates. This was most stark among private institutions, which dropped to 18 percent for the first time in history—down 2 percent from two years ago. Public universities were more stable, holding at 9 percent for a second year, but they still displayed a downward trend over time. As institutions graduate larger classes and younger alumni participate at lower rates, these trends will likely continue. Additionally, until programs can implement aggressive recurring gift programs (sustainer programs) which appeal to younger donors, this trend is likely to become irreversible.

 

WHY GIVE?

 

SPECIAL CHALLENGE

There is a Special Challenge to HU Graduates being issued to the HU Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) 2006 – 2016.  While we salute our recent HU graduates and appreciate their early support of Hampton, we recognize the spirit of giving among GOLD, we are issuing a special challenge:

Make your gift to the HU Fund by June 30, 2017 so that your gift will be applied towards your class total.

Donors from the GOLD class with the highest participation will be specially recognized by President Harvey with an invitation to join him during Homecoming 2017 at the Major Donor Alumni Reception.  The Major Donor Alumni Reception is a celebratory event honoring donors who contributed $1,000 or more to the University during Fiscal Year 2017. This invitation-only affair is held on campus on the Friday during Homecoming.

Please join the GOLD challenge today and support the students at HU. Your support of any amount is greatly appreciated. With your support now, the University can leverage a higher level of alumni participation and to strengthen its funding requests to corporations and foundations.

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