Hey team, let me start by sharing some gratitude. I am grateful to all of you. For the work you do every day—work that is unseen, and work that is out front, work that can feel tiny in the big scheme of things, and work that gets celebrated more publicly. Regardless of your role, your impact on this team and your collaboration with colleagues means that we can achieve any success we seek. And while I hear platitudes from alumni, parents, board members and staff colleagues, it is never lost on me that those words of praise can only happen because of you. So, thank you for your hard work and passion for the outcomes we produce at UGA.
This past weekend, we welcomed 150+ alumni to campus for the 2023 Bulldog 100 Celebration. These alumni love UGA, but they also love making a difference—for their families, for their employees, for their industries and communities. And we get the pleasure of helping them connect their passions with UGA, where their impact can be amplified through hiring and giving, and by sharing their expertise. And we'll see hundreds more committed Bulldogs for Alumni Leadership Assembly and the UGAF Board of Trustees meetings this week.
If there is anything I can do to help you or your team be more successful this spring, please do not hesitate to let me know! |
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Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the UGA Foundation |
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Here is an update on where we stand this week compared to this time in previous years when it comes to revenue committed. You can click on the charts to view them larger. If you have questions, please email Jeremy Ransom. |
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Here is where we stand with regard to alumni engagement so far this year. You can click on the charts to view them larger. If you have questions, please email Meredith Gurley Johnson. |
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UGAF Board of Trustees Winter Mtg. February 23-24 Athens, Georgia |
Alumni Leadership Assembly February 24-25 Athens, Georgia |
DAR Dialogues March 2 | 9-11 a.m. Tate Theater |
Dawg Day of Giving Workshop #2 March 2 | 3 p.m. Zoom
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Board of Visitors Meeting
March 14 | 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Athens, Georgia |
DAR 101 March 15 | 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Stelling Study, Terry College of Business | Alumni Board of Directors Meeting April 28 Stelling Study, Terry College of Business |
Spring Development Meeting May 15 Tate Grand Hall |
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Events for Alumni + Friends |
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Dawg Day of Giving March 30 | Blackout dates for solicit. emails is March 9-31 |
Dawg Day of Gratitude April 13 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m Tate Plaza *formerly known as Thank a Donor Day |
G-Day Spring Scrimmage April 15 | Sanford Stadium |
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Recommend Affinity Group Council Members The application period for UGA's affinity group leadership councils is February 1-March 15. If you know of a graduate who'd be a good fit for one of these groups, please let us know. |
Volunteer for Dawg Day of Gratitude
Dawg Day of Gratitude (formerly known as Thank A Donor Day) is Thursday, April 13, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in Tate Plaza. The Office of Donor Relations & Stewardship is looking for 20 volunteers to work this event. If you would like to participate, please contact Calli Choe. |
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One of DAR's goals under the Philanthropy priority is to Increase Alumni Giving to UGA. The KPI used to measure success is the Alumni Participation Rate, which represents the percentage of alumni who are donors. For FY22, DAR set an annual target of 16%, which we successfully reached. And thanks to collaborative and innovative efforts across the division—capturing data on donations from UGA license plate purchases; Dawg Day of Giving; digital campaigns like Dawgs on Top, Dawgs Still on Top, and Beat Week—we are projecting continued success through 2025. Another step closer to our vision of Every Bulldog Committed to Georgia. #SIC'EM
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Valentine's Day Solicitation Campaign |
The Annual Giving team wrapped up a Valentine's Day solicitation campaign last week that resulted in an outpouring of love from donors. Raising almost $17,000, this campaign, included a direct mailer, emails and social media posts, and encouraged alumni and friends to give to any area of UGA they love. Kudos to Brenna Sumner for the illustrations.
We saw a few other Valentine's-related solicitations from the College of Pharmacy and the School of Ecology, too! |
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Alumni Leadership Assembly: Feb. 24-26 |
What's that coming down the track? It's 150 alumni volunteers in red and black!
The Alumni Relations team will welcome passionate Bulldogs from the UGA Alumni board, chapters and councils to campus this weekend for two days of training and celebrating 2022 successes. If you have questions about the weekend or who will be here, contact Sarah Sonenberg. |
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Last weekend, the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UGA alumni gathered in Sanford Stadium to find out the final Bulldog 100 rankings for 2023. Bitcoin Depot landed at No. 1. Based in Atlanta and led by Brandon Mintz (BBA ‘16), Bitcoin Depot operates 7,000+ cryptocurrency ATMs across the U.S. and Canada. Biren Patel (MBA '12) of Biren Patel Engineering took home the Michael J. Bryan Award this year.
View the final rankings for all 100 businesses at alumni.uga.edu/b100. |
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For Georgia. For Generations. |
DAR is launching a new marketing campaign with the tagline "For Georgia. For Generations." that will spur on our fundraising efforts into 2025. A narrative and visuals are in place and ready to be used (and will find a home on the DAR Resources page soon), and a pitch video will be shared in the coming month. In addition, an internal education campaign is being developed to ensure all DAR colleagues are knowledgeable about this initiative, and an update to give.uga.edu. Questions? Email Elizabeth Elmore
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Dawg Day of Giving Workshop: March 2 |
Dawg Day of Giving (March 30) is UGA's annual, campus-wide, 24-hour fundraising effort—and it's just a little over a month away. Mark your calendar for March 2 from 3-4 p.m. on Zoom for the second and final Dawg Day of Giving Workshop. If you need the link, or have any Dawg Day of Giving-related questions, please contact Sherry Abrams.
The Promotional Toolkit includes messaging, promotional marks, photography, videos, window clings and photo props to help everyone support this initiative. |
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DARCOMM Fall Planning Meetings |
Tonya Moore is beginning to schedule Fall 2023 Planning Meetings with units on behalf of DARCOMM. These meetings will take place March-May and will allow units and DARCOMM to look ahead 6-8 months to ensure resources are in place to execute on marketing/communications needs, as well as ensure strategies are aligned in support of the division's vision of Every Bulldog Committed to Georgia.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion |
DAR is launching a DEI series called DAR DIALOGUES that will focus on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our first speaker will be Dr. Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander, author, speaker and retired Terry College of Business professor. If you have ideas or topics to recommend for future DAR DIALOGUES, please share them with Michelle Carter.
DAR DIALOGUES - with Dr. Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander Thursday, March 2 9 -11 a.m. Tate Theater Celebrating African Americans' Contributions
February is Black History month, during which we celebrate African Americans' many contributions to our country. Just as there are so many across the nation and in our nation’s history, UGA has its own roll call of impressive Black trailblazers: Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Hamilton E. Holmes, Mary Frances Early, Harold A. Black, Mary Blackwell Diallo, Kerry Rushin Miller, Mark Anthony Thomas, and Christina Swoope Carrere, to name just a few. Consider taking time this month to learn more about them as their impact at UGA has not only contributed to positive and important change here in Athens, but it has helped to bring needed change to the world. - Michelle Carter, Senior Director of Talent Management & Chief Diversity Officer
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Carol Barach Carol, the senior administrative specialist in DAR's Office of the VP, hails from Oswego, New York, and loves helping others be more effective at their jobs. |
| Jan Blaine
Jan is the senior director of development for the College of Engineering ... but did you know that he interned for an NFL team and lived in Thailand for a summer? |
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E-Newsletters from DAR Offices |
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The Regional team will be traveling to the following cities soon. |
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Chris Jefts Waycross/Douglas, GA (Feb. 27-28) Matt Mize Atlanta, GA (Feb. 22)
Justin Hill New Orleans, LA (Feb. 21-23) Katie Adams Mobile/Fairhope, AL (Feb. 22-24) |
| Alysse Capitanelli
New York Area (Feb. 20-24; 27-28) Adam Prescott Atlanta, GA (Feb. 21-23) *daytrips Beth Zimmerman St. Louis, MO (Feb. 20-23)
Elizabeth Kozak Athens, GA (Feb. 22-24) |
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Open Positions
This is to make you aware of position postings in the division. We encourage anyone interested in applying to do so. All UGA HR policies and procedures will apply. If you know of a potential candidate who may be a good fit for an opportunity, contact Michelle Carter. |
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Do you have important information for an upcoming edition of the Pulse? Send it to Elizabeth Elmore. |
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