Correction appended
Dartmouth's annual United Way campaign raised a total of $255,663, exceeding its initial goal of $225,000, according to Diana Lawrence, Dartmouth United Way steering committee co-chair and director of communications for Alumni Relations. The 2010 fundraising efforts which began in October and concluded on Feb. 14 will support regional programs that address three major fields, including health and wellness, education and housing and economic self-sufficiency, according to Granite United Way's website.
The campaign is the second largest in the program's history, topped only by the 2005 campaign that raised $260,026, Natalie Crotty, regional vice president of the Upper Valley's division of Granite United Way, said. The College's campaign is the largest United Way fundraising effort in the Upper Valley, according to Crotty.
College Executive Vice President Steven Kadish, who served as another United Way steering committee co-chair, said he is happy with the fundraising results.
"I actually think it's a great tribute to this community, that in hard economic times people felt as though those that have [money] had even an increased obligation to help those that didn't have as much," Kadish said.
The 19-person steering committee, was comprised of faculty and staff and played a very active role in the campaign, according to Kadish.
"I don't believe there's been such an active group that included people from many, many different parts of Dartmouth," he said. "I have images of several dozen people doing a ton of stuff and, in turn, touching hundreds, touching thousands."
The committee, which met weekly, established the same fundraising goal as it set during its 2009 campaign, when the committee raised $225,225, Kadish said.
This year's campaign began on Oct. 4 with a "Day of Caring," when 170 volunteers mainly Dartmouth students completed 19 service projects in the Upper Valley area, Crotty said.
"It was the first one we've held, and we did it in partnership with Dartmouth," she said. "[The activities] ran the gamut from running wheelbarrows of dirt to construct a wheelchairaccessible trail to painting projects, sorting clothing and helping with fall cleanup."
Students at the College had a "huge positive influence" on the campaign, as student volunteers contributed "many, many hours," Kadish said.
The steering committee also collected early donations from "very generous donors of the past," that matched 50 percent of all subsequent donations, Kadish said. Donations of up to $75,000, were matched by private donors, according to the website. The campaign marked the first time Dartmouth's United Way effort used a donation-matching program to fundraise, according to Kadish.
Panels of Granite United Way which is a July 2010 merger of four former United Way organizations that cover much of New Hampshire and Vermont will distribute donated funds to member organizations based on need, Lawrence said.
The College has operated a United Way campaign since 1971, according to Crotty.
The steering committee plans to convene next week to discuss the fundraising results and brainstorm ideas for next year's United Way project, Kadish said.
