The Dartmouth College Fund received a total of $13,000 for its senior class gift, with donations from 446 members of the Class of 2005, after a month-long fundraising campaign that finishes Tuesday. While donations have ranged from a single penny to $251, 47 percent of seniors participated, in contrast to the 13 percent participation rate the Class of 2004 reached last year.
This year's senior gift is more than twice the size of last year's gift. Senior gift fundraisers credited the DCF's success to this year's focus on participation rather than size of donations.
"I think there were several factors. I think a lot of it came from our emphasis on participation," DCF intern Kathryn Strayer-Benton '05 said.
The DCF's stressing on participation has paid off. All the members of the fraternities Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Chi Gamma Epsilon and Sigma Phi Epsilon, and the sororities Sigma Lambda Upsilon and Alpha Xi Delta have donated. President Wright will host a barbecue for these organizations on Class Day, the day before commencement, to publicly recognize their efforts with a plaque.
Strayer-Benton emphasized a new program under which a Class of 2005 scholar is named for each $1,000 given, with the College also matching every $1,000 donated. If an organization gives more than $1,000, a scholarship will bear its name.
"I think people were educated as to how their gifts would matter," Strayer-Benton said. "It gave people something tangible to attach their money to."
Under the program, 13 Class of 2005 scholarships have been created. Kappa Delta Epsilon, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Alpha Xi Delta sororities have one scholarship each, and the Senior Executive Committee has sponsored two.
This year's emphasis on organizational giving has also boosted Greek participation in the class gift. Fifty-three percent of 550 Greeks in the Class of 2005 have donated, while only 35 percent of their 447 non-Greek peers have.
After quickly achieving their goal of 25 percent involvement, senior volunteers have been unofficially working toward 50 percent participation by June 1, said Senior Gift Captain Kabir Sehgal '05. The DCF will realize this goal with only 33 more donations.
"Last year was 13 percent [participation], so we're really turning it around. We're really trying to set the bar for future classes," Sehgal said. "The total money is nice, but we're looking for total participation. It shows that we're appreciative of our education and we're willing to give."
The DCF recruited three interns who organized a group of 10 captains and 29 agents from the senior class. Strayer-Benton praised the dedication of all these volunteers in their efforts to solicit money.
"The numbers [of volunteers] always dwindle. A lot of our volunteers stood behind it and were really enthusiastic," Strayer-Benton said. "We rely on the enthusiasm and participation of our captains and agents."
Four individuals in the Class of 2005 have donated over $200. The 36 seniors who have donated $100 or more will join their four peers in the 1769 Society, a senior society for students who have donated $100 or more to their class gift. The 28 seniors who donated between $50 and $100 will earn the titles of Senior Fellows.
