Hi everyone! First of all, thank you for the notes of encouragement on my first day and to those who have jumped in feet first to lend a hand as I settle into this new role. Your support has been essential, greatly appreciated and not gone unnoticed.
I shared a few structural changes in early April that will help us continue operations while we are in this interim time of transition. We've developed an org chart to help show those changes.
As we head into the final month of the spring semester and the final quarter of our fiscal year, there is so much to celebrate and still a lot of time to finish this year strong. Congratulations to everyone who assisted with Dawg Day of Giving, Georgia Women Give and Senior Signature—all three initiatives surpassed their fundraising targets and we processed a record number of gifts during this time! Details about each are in the newsletter below. Congratulations to Donor Relations on hosting Dawg Day of Gratitude last week. We collected great content from Tate and many satellite sites across campus that will enable us to thank donors throughout the year.
As I continue to settle into this new role, please reach out if I can be of help or if you see opportunities for us to improve as a division. I appreciate all of you and am so proud of our team. Go Dawgs! |
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Interim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and Interim Executive Director of the UGA Foundation |
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Here is an update on FY23 revenue compared to this time in previous years. Click on the chart to view it larger. Fundraisers have been challenged to an "End-of-Year Sprint" focused on asks, gifts closed, total dollars raised and number of discovery meetings. It's all hands on deck as we make FY23 another successful fundraising year! Questions? Email Jeremy Ransom.
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Alumni Participation Rate Update |
Below is the FY23 APR data as of April 5. This does not include Senior Signature donors or license plate data, but it does include ~2,000 new APR donors from Dawg Day of Giving. The Annual Giving team feels good about hitting the 16% APR goal this year, but still has a series of solicitations lined up for Q4 to hit dollar and donor goals. If you are not a centralized annual giving partner, please send your Q4 plans to Sherry Abrams. APR questions?
Email Heather Duiser.
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Here is where we stand with regard to alumni engagement. We have passed the FY22 totals in both the Experiential and Volunteer categories! Click on the charts to view them larger. Questions? Email Meredith Gurley Johnson. |
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Alumni Board of Directors Meeting April 28 Stelling Study, Terry College of Business |
DAR Dialogues May 1 | 8:30-10 a.m.
Tate Theatre |
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Spring Development Meeting May 15 | 8 a.m. Tate Grand Hall |
Team Stewardship May 18 | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Veterinary Teaching Hospital |
UGAF Board of Trustees Spring Meeting June 7-9 Greensboro, Georgia |
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Events for Alumni + Friends |
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| Alumni Night at the Braves June 8 Truist Park |
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Make Some Noise for Dawg Day of Giving! |
On Dawg Day of Giving, we set a record number of gifts (11,091!) through the work put in by everyone in DAR; thank you for helping to connect donors with UGA! Donors supported 900+ funds with a total of $5.6 million. Within the next few weeks, all Dawg Day of Giving donors will receive a stewardship postcard highlighting their collective impact along with any incentive swag they qualified for with online giving. Questions? Email Sherry Abrams.
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We're excited to share that the Class of 2023 set another Senior Signature record when 3,377 of them donated a minimum of $30 to UGA—over $112,000! Thank you to everyone who helped promote this important fundraising campaign to graduating students. This final count will be formally announced publicly in the coming weeks. Questions? Email Terrance Smith.
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On March 23-24, Georgia Women Give (GWG) held an on-campus public launch event. The event drew 100+ women to Athens to hear from esteemed alumnae, faculty and students, explore campus, and exchange ideas on the future of the GWG initiative. Attendee response was overwhelmingly positive. As of April 17, 47 commitments of $25,000+ have been made to GWG’s three signature funds. Next up: implementing a long-term stewardship plan, exploring ideas for future events, and connecting with more campus partners. Questions? Contact Siara Abdulla.
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Alumni Awards Luncheon is Today |
The Alumni Relations team will welcome this year's Alumni Award honorees to Athens today for a luncheon in Tate Grand Hall. You can read more about this year's honorees on the alumni website: |
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Student Alumni Council Earns Award |
Congratulations to the Student Alumni Council for earning the "Outstanding Membership Engagement" award during the 22nd Annual H. Gordon and Francis S. Davis Student Engagement Awards! Read more. |
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April is Earth Month, and there is no better time to celebrate Bulldogs who strive to make our planet healthier. Seven schools and colleges are collaborating on an Earth Week campaign to raise support for environmental funds at UGA. Please share the Earth Week fundraising priorities with constituents this month. |
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Parent Donor Stories You Can Use |
If you are looking to communicate to donors, alumni or prospects the benefits of joining the Parents Leadership Council or the power of parent giving, here are a few stories you can lean on: |
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One Press Place Relocations |
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| Email Gift Receipts Rolling Out To More Donors |
Now donors making gifts by check, cash or credit card will receive a tax receipt by email instead of a mailed letter, as long as they have a valid email address in GAIL. DAR will honor the wishes of donors who express a preference to continue to receive printed letters. Questions? Email Gift Accounting at UGAFbusiness@uga.edu. |
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Commencement Volunteers Needed |
Friday, May 12 (Undergraduate Ceremony in Sanford Stadium) 4:15 – 9:30 p.m. (Gates open at 5:30 p.m., Ceremony starts at 7:30 p.m.)
If you are interested in volunteering, please submit your information by April 24. There will be volunteer training sessions and stadium walk-throughs on Monday, May 8 at 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Questions? Email Anna Gray.
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Help Assembling Commencement Bags |
DAR is once again seeking help to assemble 7,000 bags for pick-up on May 10. If are you are interested in volunteering, please hold Monday, May 8 and Tuesday, May 9 on your calendar. The assembly will take place at One Press Place. Times and further details will be provided in early May. Questions? Contact Elizabeth Elmore.
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UGA Today is the university's daily news email that is delivered to inboxes each morning when UGA is open for operations. You can sign up online. If you aren't familiar with it, here is a sample issue: https://t.uga.edu/8MO.
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DARCOMM has produced 100+ illustrations for use in alumni/donor communications. The full set is viewable online, and can be requested by emailing Amanda Qubty. The first board (Seth McWhorter illustrations) are licensed for central use only, so we are unable to disseminate those broadly. |
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May 1 | 8:30-10 a.m. | Tate Theatre
DAR Dialogues with Dr. Dawn Bennett-Alexander: Session Two will be an interactive discussion about DEI in the DAR workplace. Athens-based staff are encouraged to attend in person. If you need the Zoom link, email Michelle Carter.
Holidays + Cultural Events Numerous holidays and cultural events take place during April and we've provided some opportunities to learn more below so that you can be better informed as you interact with colleagues, students and donors. |
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Lynnsey Lafayette
Lynnsey is the College of Public Health's development and alumni relations coordinator and serves on local boards that focus on queer rights, HIV/AIDS, and epilepsy. |
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Adam Prescott
Adam is an assoc. senior regional director of development and can recommend great podcasts focused on entrepreneurship and management that he listened to on of his many travels with his wife. |
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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 Dalton, GA (April 26-27)
Thomasville, Ga (May 2-4) Rome, GA (May 15-16) Matt Mize
Atlanta, GA (April 25) Katie Adams Sarasota/Bradenton, FL (April 25-27) Adam Prescott Atlanta, GA (April 25, 26) - tbd daytrips |
| Alysse Capitanelli Athens, GA (April 17-21) Athens, GA (May 1-2) New York (May 16-19; May 23-26) Chandler Boyle Mooresville, NC (April 24-25) Charlotte, NC (May 2-4) Elizabeth Kozak
Chattanooga, TN + Athens, GA (April 18-21) Athens, GA (May 3-4) Athens, GA (May 14-16) |
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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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Welcome to Marino Blocker, Application Programmer Specialist, Advancement IT
- Congratulations to Cynthia Casey, named Event Support Specialist, Office of Special Events
- Congratulations to Jill Walton, Interim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and Interim Executive Director, UGA Foundation
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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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