With the arrival of the packet containing materials
for EmoryGives, the Universitys charitable giving campaign,
in every faculty and staff members mailbox last Wednesday,
the 200304 effort is under way.
Last year, EmoryGives missed its $425,000 goal by less than $20,000,
and despite that disappointing turnout, Michelle Smith, associate
vice president for corporate giving, is anything but despondent.
In fact, she perhaps is more energized and optimistic than ever
before.
I defy anybody to look through our partners and not find a
charity that reflects their personal values and interests,
said Smith, referring to the more than 440 nonprofit groups that
are part of EmoryGives.
Much of this years campaign resembles the recent past. The
goal, $425,000, is the same as last year. Members of the Emory community
still have a choice of where they want their donation to go (EmoryGives
partners of the last two years, United Way of Metro Atlanta, Covington-Newton
County United Fund, Community Health Charities of Georgia, Earth
Share of Georgia, Georgia Black United Fund and Georgia Shares all
return); the Parisian holiday shopping party, which drew more than
500 guests to the chains Phipps Plaza store, will be back,
Nov. 16; and EmoryGives is teaming with the American Heart Association
for its Heart Walk later in the year. In the spring, EmoryGives
will shift its focus to volunteerism.
One notable new addition is the arrival of Senior Vice President
and General Counsel Kent Alexander as campaign chair. Ive
done a lot of volunteerism in the past, said Alexander, one
of the co-founders of Hands-On Atlanta. So part of this is
to spark that same interest in others. Emory is a very generous
place, and I think a lot of people would give if they knew how easy
it was.
Alexander will be touring the campus building up support for the
campaign, and he started at the Emory Angels breakfast at the Miller-Ward
Alumni House last Wednesday.
President Jim Wagner, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs
Michael Johns and keynote speaker Charles Brewer, chairman of Green
Street Properties and founder of MindSpring, also took turns at
the podium not only to laud the Emory Angels (people who donated
at least $1,000 to EmoryGives last year), but also to drum up support
for this years effort.
Last year, more than 1,600 people donated to EmoryGivesa participation
rate of 10 percent, up a good bit from 6.9 percent in 200102.
While that increase is a good sign, Smith is not satisfied, and
shes not the only one. Upon meeting with the Woodruff Health
Sciences Centers leadership council, one member told her to
publicize that 10 percent rate as something Emory must improve.
Therefore, one stated goal of this years campaign is to boost
participation an additional 10 percent.
Small gifts really make a difference, Smith said. Just
one or two or five dollars a month can do something important. For
instance, it could buy a wig for a child who has just lost his hair
to cancer.
Like Alexander, Smith will be doing her part as well, touring departments
and divisions across campus to promote EmoryGives. With her, she
will bring the campaigns promotional video, which will tell
the stories of two Emory employees who have been helped by some
of EmoryGives charities.
Donations to EmoryGives can be made through payroll deduction, a
one-time check or money order, or can be billed at a later date.
Donation forms are provided in the EmoryGives packet or can be downloaded
from the EmoryGives website at www.emorygives.emory.edu.
For more information on any aspect of the campaign, visit the website
or call 404-727-2020.
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