Happy New Year, team!
Congratulations and kudos to everyone on the most successful first six months of fundraising, the best December ever, and achieving our goal of 400 endowed faculty positions! Everyone in DAR played an important role in these successes, and I am grateful for each of you and the special gifts and talents you bring to our team. Way to continue DARing to Level Up!
As I'm sure everyone is aware, we have officially launched UGAF@Work—a new platform designed to enhance and streamline financial operations for the UGA Foundation. Visit the UGAF@Work website to access the platform, view important updates, explore training resources, and more. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this year-long implementation project, and congratulations on reaching this significant milestone.
Resources for the new scholarship campaign are now live and ready for use. We have developed a suite of materials designed to address various donor interests and answer common questions, and I hope you will utilize these in conversations with donors. The available resources and links are included below.
Lastly, in the spirit of celebration, please take a moment to nominate a colleague for a Level Up Employee Recognition Award by February 6. I look forward to recognizing this year’s recipients during our half-day AdvanceUGA Conference on March 23. |
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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 |
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Fundraising Update 📈
- Upcoming DAR Meetings 📆
- Events for Target Audiences 🎉
- For Georgia. For Generations. Scholarship Campaign
- UGA Foundation Endowment Minimums Update
- UGAF@Work Project Update
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40 Under 40 Nominations
Mentor Program Update
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Here is where we stand as of January 20. Questions? Please email Danielle Free. |
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Spring Career & Internship Fair
February 4 | 12-5PM Classic Center |
Alumni Board Winter Executive Committee Meeting February 5 | 6-7:30PM One Press Place
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Winter Alumni Board Meeting
February 6 | 8:30AM-3PM Special Collections Library |
Winter Development Team Meeting February 9 | 2PM Tate Student Center, Grand Hall |
| Discover DAR: SCUDD Edition February 13 | 8:30-9:30am |
Discover DAR: SCUDD Edition February 27 | 8:30-9:30am |
AdvanceUGA March 23 | 8AM-12PM |
Spring Development Team Meeting
May 11 | 9AM Tate Student Center, Grand Hall |
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Events for Target Audiences |
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Mentorship Mondays:
Creative Entrepreneurship January 26 | 12-1:30pm Virtual Attendance |
Founders Day January 27 | 10:30-2:30PM Tate Atrium |
Spring PLC Weekend February 6-7, 2026 Athens, GA |
2026 Bulldog 100 Celebration
February 7, 2026 West End Zone, Sanford Stadium |
Young Philanthropists Event February 25, 2026 Atlanta, GA |
| Dawg Day of Growth March 5, 2026 Terry Executive Education Center Atlanta, GA |
Dawg Day of Giving March 26, 2026 |
Class of 2026 Senior Signature Deadline
March 31, 2026 |
Advancing the Arch Volunteer Leadership Training Conference July 17-18, 2026 Athens, GA |
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For Georgia. For Generations. Scholarship Campaign
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UGA Foundation Endowment Minimums Update
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We are pleased to share the latest update regarding the minimum funding levels required to establish endowments at the University of Georgia Foundation. In addition to updating the funding thresholds, we took the opportunity to reformat the endowment definitions document to provide a clearer, more consistent, and user-friendly reference tool for development officers and donors alike.
As you know, effective July 1, 2025, the following revised endowment minimums now apply to all new agreements*:
Student Support Endowments Undergraduate Scholarships: $50,000 (previously $25,000) Graduate Scholarships: $50,000 Professional School Scholarships: $100,000**
Doctoral Fellowships: $100,000
Please note, Scholarships and Fellowships provide support to cover educational expenses included in the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA).
Departmental and Programmatic Support General Support Fund: $50,000 (previously $25,000) Award Fund (Faculty/Staff Only): $50,000 (previously $25,000)
*Endowment minimums for the School of Law, School of Medicine, Terry College of Business, and UGA Athletics may exceed these Foundation-established minimums. Best practice is to work with the benefiting unit’s development staff when establishing an endowment for that area. For details on a unit’s minimums and needs, please contact its development team.
** The College of Pharmacy minimum remains $50,000. |
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UGAF@Work is now live!
We’re excited to announce that UGAF@Work, the Foundation’s new system replacing FAME, is officially live! Here’s what you need to know: Access the System - The production environment is available via the UGAF@Work webpage.
- Bookmark this page for quick access to the system and support resources.
Who Needs UGAF@Work? -
Anyone requesting a reimbursement from the Foundation or reimbursing a supplier (formerly a FAME check request) must access UGAF@Work.
- Payment elections (bank account information for direct deposit) must be entered before receiving any reimbursement.
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Anyone who previously used FAME for other activities such as reporting will also access UGAF@Work.
Training & Support -
Instructor-led training is available through January 29th
- Register on the UGAF@Work Training page
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Online on-demand training is available for quick refreshers or limited training needs.
- Register on the UGAF@Work Training page
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For step-by-step guides on accessing the system, setting up payment elections, submitting expenses, and more, visit the UGAF@Work Knowledge Base (click “User Guides” on the UGAF@Work webpage).
Day One Checklist - Log in to UGAF@Work via SSO to verify access.
- Set up your payment elections if you expect a Foundation reimbursement.
- Begin submitting Foundation expenses, supplier invoice requests, and supplier requests.
- Bookmark the UGAF@Work page and UGAF@Work Knowledge Base
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Know where to get help: email AskIT@uga.edu with any issues or questions.
We appreciate your support and patience during this transition. Thank you for helping make UGAF@Work a success! |
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Do you know a donor, prospect or engaged alum who is leading the pack in their industry and/or community? Nominate them for the Class of 2026 40 Under 40. Nominations are open Feb. 1-28. Questions? Email 40u40@uga.edu.
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Since July 1: -
# of mentors – 6,508 (482 new registrations)
- # of mentees – 6,692 (1,638 new registrations)
- # of connections – 1,940 (includes 16-week, quick chats, and circles)
January is National Mentoring Month!
Help us ring in the new year by celebrating mentorship across campus! Check out our calendar of events! |
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Footsteps Award Nominations 2026
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Dawg Day of Giving Workshop Dates
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Please join the Dawg Day of Giving planning team for the following workshops to prepare for our 2026 Dawg Day of Giving on March 26. Questions? Email Ashley Crain or Sherry Abrams.
DDOG Workshop #1
Thursday, January 29 | 10-11 a.m. You’ll learn about DDOG, campaign phases, how you and your area can participate, digital toolkit, next steps and Q&A time.
DDOG Workshop #2
Tuesday, February 24 9-10 a.m. We’ll cover additional direct marketing plans and solicitation items. Solicitation Hiatus: March 2 to March 31 |
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Pictured from Left to Right: Tucker Robbins, Claire Moore, Urja Davesar, Graham Lawson |
Tucker Robbins
Hometown: Homerville, GA
Year: 3rd
Major: Sport Management (Minor in Business Management)
Fun Fact: His favorite UGA football player of all time is Darnell Washington.
Claire Moore
Hometown: Ringgold, GA
Year: 4th
Major: Biological Sciences
Fun Fact: She loves fostering pets for Athens-Clarke County Animal Services! Urja Davesar
Hometown: Decatur, GA
Year: 4th
Major: Business Management
Fun Fact: She studied abroad at the University of Oxford in the UK! Graham Lawson Hometown: Acworth, GA Year: 4th Majors: Real Estate and Finance Fun Fact: He has a twin sister and graduates in May, ending the 18-year streak of attending the same school.
Our student ambassadors kicked off FY26 with an outstanding performance, raising over $40,000 from 384 pledges in just three months of calling. They achieved a 37% participation rate among the prospects they spoke with—up significantly from 25% in FY25. Additionally, the pledge fulfillment rate climbed to 80%, compared to 63% last year, reflecting their growing effectiveness in securing quality pledges. |
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School of Medicine Update
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Check out the latest edition of The Scope, the School of Medicine’s quarterly e-newsletter. This is emailed to all School of Medicine donors as well as current and emeritus UGAF trustees. If you have a prospective donor who you would like to receive these updates, please email Megan Jenkins to have them added to the mailing list.
Please continue to reach out to Hudson Clare early in your donor conversations, especially around scholarships. His involvement is essential as the School of Medicine finalizes the structure of scholarships for students. |
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A member of the UGA Engineering Advisory Board, who was also the first major gift donor to the College of Engineering and a long-time supporter of UGA Athletics, was motivated by the recent matching funds announcement to establish a scholarship at FACS in honor of his wife, who is a proud FACS alumna. He reached out asking for a special way to let her know about the gift at Christmas. The “elves of FACS” — Jayme Bolding and Emma Faust
— went to work and assembled a package that was both joyful to open and intentional in helping her understand the significance of the scholarship and the impact it will have on FACS students. The gift included carefully selected FACS swag, along with a personalized note from Dean Zvonkovic. Congrats to Suzanne Griffeth and the entire FACS team on an outstanding example of collaboration, creativity and stewardship —and on honoring the generosity of loyal donors in such a meaningful way.
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Annual Giving Network recently selected the "Picture Your Pet" Challenge Campaign that ran in May 2025 to celebrate National Pet Month as a Silver Award Recipient and the "Name a Squirrel" Digital Campaign as a Bronze Award Recipient in AGN’s Best in Annual Giving Awards. Entries were evaluated in terms of quality, creativity, and/or innovation and these submissions really stood out as examples of best practices in the field today. Congratulations to the College of Veterinary Medicine, Annual Giving, DARCOMM and Advancement IT for an amazing collaboration on the "Picture Your Pet" Challenge Campaign! Kudos to Annual Giving, DARCOMM, Advancement IT, and all the schools and colleges for your creativity with the "Name a Squirrel" Campaign. And a special shout out to Gift Accounting for processing all the gifts!
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Nashville, TN
February 8-10 |
Thomasville, GA
February 17 |
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If you would like to schedule a visit with Jill, please contact Carol Barach to avoid double-booking. Thank you! |
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Vince Thomas Jacksonville, FL (Jan. 20-23) |
Katie Adams Athens, GA (Jan. 28-29) |
Kyle Bryson Houston, TX (Jan. 21-23) Athens, GA (Jan. 27-29) |
Elizabeth Kozak
Athens, GA (Jan. 26-29 & Feb. 10-11) |
Matt Brown Athens, GA (Jan. 27-29) |
Madi Cox Atlanta, GA (Jan. 21-22) |
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Michelle Rotondo Athens, GA (Jan. 27-29 & Feb. 10-11) |
Kate O'Reilly Richmond, VA (Mar. 10-12) |
Ali Elyaman San Francisco, CA (Jan. 26-28) |
Chandler Boyle
Athens, GA (Jan. 28-30) |
Courtney Hart Athens, GA (Jan. 23, 28-30) |
Weldon Kolker Atlanta, GA (Jan. 21-22) |
Zack Robbins Thomasville/Valdosta, GA (Jan. 19-22) |
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Parent Giving Team Travel
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Courtney Ayers Columbus, GA (Feb. 2-4) Atlanta, GA (Various trips) |
Meredith Glenn Greenville, SC (Jan. 22-23) Augusta, GA (Jan. 28) |
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Andrea Parris Atlanta, GA (Various trips) |
Eric Schmidt Atlanta, GA (Various trips) |
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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 Christy Dasher.
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Do you have information or a suggestion for an upcoming edition of the Pulse? |
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