Happy New Year, DAR! When FY24 closed, we were thrilled to announce that it set a record for the highest fundraising year in UGA history and set our 3-year rolling average to $258 million. Can I get a GO DAWGS!? I had fun celebrating at Athentic with you and I look forward to working together toward another strong year in FY25. Thanks for your ongoing commitment to UGA!
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Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the UGA Foundation |
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What You'll Find in This Month's Pulse |
- 📈 Fundraising Update
- Upcoming DAR Meetings 📆
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Events for Alumni + Friends 🤝
- 👩🏫 UGA Mentor Program Update
- 🏥 School of Medicine Update
- Preseason Game Day Button Campaign 🏈
- 👋 Freshman Welcome is August 13
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FY24 Years of Service Awards 🏆
- 💼 Annual Giving Staffing Updates
- Who Is SAC? ❓
- 🚨 Campus Security
- 4️⃣0️⃣ 40 Under 40 Unveiled
- Meet the Employee Experience Committee ❤️
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🍲 Check out The Stew
- Branding Reminders ™️
- DAR in the News 📰
- DAR Headshot Schedule 📸
- 🔔 Ring the Bell: DAR Success Stories
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🌟 DAR Stars: Abby Bryant, Shearron Hamlin, Development Interns
- ✈️ Regional Programs Travel Schedule
- Open DAR Positions 🎉
- 👨💼 Staff Announcements
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🥳 Just for Fun: Olympic Dawgs
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**The DAR Meetings page has been updated to better serve as an ongoing reference spot for major DAR meetings. If you have an adjustment or would like something added, please email Elizabeth Elmore.**
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Black Alumni Leadership Council Mtg.
August 2, 2024 | 2-5PM ATL Alumni Center |
Latino Alumni Council Mtg. August 5, 2024 | 9-11AM Zoom |
Annual Giving Workshop
August 8, 2024 | 9AM-3PM Poultry Science Building |
WOU Leadership Council Mtg. August 9, 2024 | 9:30AM-Noon ATL Alumni Center |
PAWS Reception
August 13, 2024 | 3:30-5:30 PM The Georgia Center | Mahler Hall |
UGAF Board of Trustees Orientation August 22, 2024 Athens, GA |
Discover DAR - Canceled
August 23, 2024 |
Young Alumni Council Summer Mtg.
August 24, 2024 | 9AM-2PM ATL Alumni Center |
Team Stewardship August 29, 2024 | 11AM Grady College of Journalism |
| DAR Town Hall September 9, 2024 Tate Grand Hall |
Discover DAR: UGA Career Center September 27, 2024 Delta Innovation Hub |
UGAF Board of Trustees Meeting
October 3-4, 2024 Athens, GA |
Alumni Assoc. BOD Fall Meeting October 11, 2024 Athens, GA |
DAR 101
October 15, 2024 Stelling Study, Business Learning Community |
Fall Development Meeting November 4, 2024 Tate Grand Hall |
UGAF Board of Trustees Meeting
February 20-21, 2025 Athens, GA |
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Events for Alumni + Friends |
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Fall Classes Begin August 14, 2024 |
DFW Welcome to the City August 15, 2024 | 6-10PM Perot Museum (Dallas-Fort Worth) |
DC Chapter Welcome to the District August 16, 2024 | 6PM Union Pub |
London Chapter Season Kickoff August 17, 2024 | 3PM Camden Town Brewery (London) |
SAC Meet & Greet #1 August 22, 2024 | Noon-2PM
Tate Center NW Lawn |
Volusia-Flagler Race to Support Student Well-being August 22, 2024 | 6-9PM Strouds at Daytona Lagoon |
| HOU Chapter Volunteer Interest Mtg. August 24, 2024 | 2-4PM Scholars and Scoundrels (Houston) |
40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon
September 6, 2024 | 11AM Tate Grand Hall |
40 Under 40 Tailgate September 7, 2024 Location TBD |
Beat Week vs. Alabama September 23-28, 2024 |
Dawg Day of Gratitude October 16, 2024 Tate Center + South Campus + satellite locations across campus |
Presidents Club Reception November 15, 2024 Tate Grand Hall |
Oyster Roast for a Reason November 23, 2024 Skidaway Island, GA |
Fall Commencement December 13, 2024 Stegeman Coliseum |
Dawg Day of Giving
March 27, 2025 *Details to come! |
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UGA Mentor Program Update |
For the 2023-2024 year, the Career Center is pleased to report: 2,180 mentee registrations 637 mentor registrations 1,652 connections 6,381+ connections since UMP launched
Are you or someone you know interested in learning about the UGA Mentor Program? Register for UMP 101 on August 16! Questions? Email Bethany Bagwell. |
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School of Medicine Updates |
Donors have committed more than $12 million to support the new building! Let's keep our foot on the gas. Just a reminder that DARCOMM has produced documents to assist in School of Medicine fundraising. They can be found on the Development Toolkit. In addition, a donation page has been added to give.uga.edu.
If you have questions about SOM fundraising, contact Matt Mize. |
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Preseason Game Day Button Campaign (July 5-Sept. 2) |
The Annual Giving football preseason campaign has kicked off the fiscal year on a strong foot once again, this time including a set of spirited UGA buttons for donors. The giving page is give.uga.edu/buttons and features one fund per area in the dropdown, with the option for donors to search for additional funds. The resources sheet and social toolkit
will be useful as you share on social and in newsletters. Let Evan Christian or your Annual Giving liaison know if you need custom links.
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Freshman Welcome is August 13 |
Terrance Smith, Drew Flaherty, and partners across DAR and campus are eager to welcome the Class of 2028 to UGA during Freshman Welcome on the eve of the first day of class. Details on this annual tradition can be found online. Please help promote this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to students using these assets. Questions? Contact Terrance Smith.
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FY24 Years of Service Awards |
On July 15, DAR recognized staff members who have 5, 10, 20, and 30 years of continuous service to UGA. We are pleased to recognize this year’s Years of Service award recipients – and we thank them for their commitment to the University of Georgia! |
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Annual Giving Staffing Updates |
Here is Annual Giving's updated liaison model. The team is always glad to help with ideas and strategies for areas that are not part of the centralized annual giving structure.
The team is hiring a Digital Experience Officer (DXO) who will manage a large portfolio of donors with the goal of building lasting relationships and creating meaningful experiences through engaging communications and one-on-one virtual interactions. The DXO will connect donors to UGA and schools, colleges, departments, and divisions, and they will solicit gifts primarily between $250 and $24,999 while developing personalized strategies to increase year-over-year retention, upgrade of donors and build a pipeline for major gift referrals. Learn more about the position (and pass it on to prospective applicants).
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UGA Continues to Strengthen Campus Security |
This fall, UGA will unveil a series of highly visible initiatives to further strengthen campus security — from new signs and and perimeter fencing to lighting upgrades, emergency call stations and automatic license plate readers. Students, faculty, staff and visitors also will see more uniformed personnel, including a new unit of Campus Safety Ambassadors that will augment the UGA Police by serving as student escorts and providing extra “eyes and ears” across campus during evening hours. Read more and please share with parents.
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40 Under 40 Honorees Class of 2024 |
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Meet the Employee Experience Committee |
Talent Management is excited to introduce the Employee Experience Committee, also known as E-Squared. This committee of employees from across the division is dedicated to promoting a healthy work environment by focusing on the employee experience by: - Enhancing DAR culture
- Organizing employee engagement activities to build camaraderie
- Encouraging feedback and communication
- Supporting employee well-being
- Rewarding staff achievements
See who is serving on E-Squared. |
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Please enjoy the July 2024 edition of The Stew, an e-communication for stewardship professionals across campus created by the Office of Donor Relations and Stewardship. |
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Branding Notes from DARCOMM |
A few branding reminders from DARCOMM: -
Be sure to follow all rules and guidelines on brand.uga.edu when designing materials, specifically those around logo usage.
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It never hurts to read through the Trademarks page for a refresher as policies change.
- Always use an approved vendor when printing materials.
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"Have Heart" is a script font that DAR has used in materials. This font will be phased out and replaced with an alternative this year. Please keep an eye on phasing this out in any of your materials.
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Here are a few recent bits of news from DAR: |
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📸 DAR Headshot Schedule 📸 |
Have you scheduled a headshot with Edwin Hammond? Fill out a scheduling form below; headshots are taken in front of 1 Press Place. |
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Congrats to the Latest Plus Delta Cohort
Congrats to the following 15 DAR colleagues who participated in the 7th Cohort of Plus Delta Partners and the Discipline of Frontline Fundraising program. Plus Delta is a specialized consulting firm that provides professional development programs for frontline fundraisers and managers at colleges, universities and health care institutions to implement performance improvement solutions that generate significant fundraising growth. This cohort's sessions lasted from November 2023 to June 2024.
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Machado Joins InfraGard
After a multi-year evaluation, background checks, and an in-person visit from FBI agents, Juan Machado has joined InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and members of the private sector for the protection of U.S. Critical Infrastructure. This opens additional opportunities for DAR’s involvement, awareness, and education in the cybersecurity realm. Congrats, Juan!
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Abby Bryant
Vet Med's Assistant Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship has worked in DAR for 8 years and enjoys World War II fiction! |
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Shearron Hamlin This Associate Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship lives in Watkinsville and enjoys all Bravo TV shows. | |
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DAR Development Interns
It was DAR's honor to host interns Rachel Jordan and Nikhilesh Gujjula this summer, two outstanding UGA students. In these blogs, they share some takeaways from their time in DAR this summer - enjoy!
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🚗 Regional Programs Travel ✈️
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The Regional team will be traveling to the following cities soon.
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Chris Jefts Macon, GA (Aug. 13-15) Albany, GA (Aug. 27-29) Vince Thomas Gainesville, GA (Aug. 5) Miami, FL (Aug. 7-9) Augusta, GA (Aug. 20-22) Ellie Engquist NY Area (Month of August) |
| Christina Varnedoe Savannah, GA (Month of August)
Katie Adams Tampa/SW, FL (Aug. 20-23) Chandler Boyle Virginia Beach, VA (July 31-Aug. 1) Charlotte, NC (Aug. 22-23) Michelle Rotondo Athens, GA (August 8 + 27) |
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Open Position Postings in DAR
We encourage anyone interested in applying to do so. All UGA HR policies and procedures apply. If you know of a potential candidate who may be a good fit for an opportunity, contact Michelle Carter.
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DAR Staff Announcements (thru 7/31)
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- Welcome to Michael Pannell, Annual Giving Coordinator, Annual Giving
- Welcome to Drew Sanford, Mentor Program Coordinator, Career Center
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Welcome to Abby Fuller, Associate Director of Development (covering Division of Physical and Mathematical Sciences), Franklin College
- Welcome to Nano Serwich, Alumni and Corporate Engagement Associate, Odum School
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Welcome to Faith Marx, Development Coordinator, College of Public Health
- Welcome to Catherine Arra, Asst. Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations, School of Law
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Welcome to Amanda Wilson, Development Associate, College of Environment & Design
- Congrats to Brionna Johnson, named Assoc. Director of Employer Relations, Career Center
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Best wishes to LaRisa Chambers, Regional Director of Development, Regional Programs
Have a change for the DAR online directory? Email Abbie Jones with your change(s). |
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Did you know that 34 current, former, and future UGA student-athletes are competing in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games? It's true! And the UGA Athletic Association has compiled a schedule of when they compete. |
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Do you have information or a suggestion for an upcoming edition of the Pulse? |
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