With 99.9 percent of seniors donating to the Senior Class Gift, the Class of 2010 achieved the highest student donation rate in the history of the College and the highest donation rate among Ivy League schools, according to executive director of the Dartmouth College Fund Sylvia Racca. The Class of 2010 alone raised a total of $10,000 and the Class of 1960 contributed an additional $200,000 toward the donation, Racca said.
Senior Class Gift donations totaled $231,388, with contributions coming from students, parents, friends and alumni. The gift "advances the Dartmouth Experience" by supporting financial aid and academic and athletic programs, according to the College's website.
The ongoing financial crisis did not hinder student participation or the amount of money raised by the Class of 2010, according to several individuals involved in the fundraising efforts.
Although Senior Class Gift volunteers declined to release the number of students who did not participate, an e-mail from a Senior Class Gift volunteer obtained by The Dartmouth indicated that only one senior did not donate to the gift.
The Class of 2010 is now the sixth graduating class in a row to break the participation rate of the previous class, according to a College press release.
The Class of 1960 joined forces with the Class of 2010 through class connections an informal relationship between current undergraduate classes and the returning 50-year reunion class, according to the Dartmouth College Office of Alumni Relations website.
The Class of 1960 challenged all members of the Class of 2010 to donate to the Senior Class Gift, and promised to donate $1,000 toward financial aid for every 1 percent of seniors that donated to the fund, Racca said. The Class of 1960 originally promised double their monetary contribution to total of $200,000 if the Class of 2010 achieved 100 percent participation, according to Racca.
Representatives of the Class of 1960 later agreed to double their donation, for a total of $200,000, despite the fact that not all members of the senior class donated, Class of 1960 representative James Adler '60 previously told The Dartmouth.
"To get the Dartmouth student body, or any student body, to agree 100 percent on anything is impossible," Adler said. "You don't have to get every single student to get a huge success. It's great to ask for money for Dartmouth with great enthusiasm, but you don't want to take it too far."
Members of the Class of 2010 donated a minimum of one dollar, according to Dartmouth College Fund intern Meredith Blank '10.
The Class of 2010's donation will fund student scholarships for 10 members of the Class of 2014. During First Year Orientation in September, scholarship recipients will attend a celebratory brunch, an annual event that began in 2005, Racca said. She added that all donating members of the Class of 2010 will be invited to attend the brunch.
All 30 Greek houses on campus achieved 100 percent participation among their members. Last year, only 20 Greek houses had 100 percent of their members donate to the Senior Class Gift.
An anonymous donor also promised to donate $1,000 for every Greek house that achieved 100 percent participation among its members, with a maximum contribution of $20,000, according to Racca. The donor ultimately gave a total of $20,000 to the Class of 2010's Senior Class Gift.
Members of the Class of 2010 turned out in record numbers to help organize fundraising efforts, according to Racca. The diversity of volunteers allowed them to reach a wide variety of clubs and organizations on campus, Racca said.
A total of 71 volunteers and four interns contributed to fundraising efforts this year, including the creation of a Senior Class Gift website, Racca said.
Senior Class Gift volunteers solicit donations over a one month time period, a much shorter window than at most other institutions, in which donation drives typically last the entire year, according to Racca.
The shorter duration of Dartmouth's Senior Class Gift drive which ran from May 1 to May 31 created a "heightened sense of enthusiasm, awareness and focus," Racca said. She added that students are more excited as the academic year draws to a close, which helps raise the energy of fundraising efforts.
"They're ready to graduate," Blank said. "It's a good time for them to begin to think about giving back to the College through such a contribution."
Although the drive accepts both immediate and future donations, donors are encouraged to make immediate contributions, Racca said. Students are "asked to make a gift based on their own individual capacity," Racca said.
"This was a great effort by the Class of 2010," Racca said. "The Class of 2010 is an amazing and special class. The work they did demonstrates their tremendous generosity."
