Inside WSU

Faculty, staff asked to support annual fund

By Lynette Murphy

When funds were being raised to bring Ablah Library to the next level several years ago, faculty and staff were called upon to demonstrate their support for a dire cause. At that time, 60 percent of faculty and staff responded "yes" to the on-campus campaign, donating just more than $20,000 to the effort.

A similar endeavor is beginning this year, as the Endowment Association is expanding its Annual Fund for Excellence, the yearly telephone campaign to alumni, to include WSU employees. In mid-September, faculty and staff will receive letters urging them to support the fund of their choice through what is hoped will turn into an annual commitment.

"This effort allows us to demonstrate support of the university by its core - the team who works here," says Brandon Smith, coordinator of the Annual Fund for Excellence. "Having our internal constituency show that they are willing to invest in the future of the university is a great example for alumni and friends participating in the annual fund."

Therefore, the level of participation, as well as the dollars raised, will be of importance.

Already, more than 100 faculty and staff (excluding those at the dean's level and above) give to the Annual Fund for Excellence. The majority of those are WSU alumni.

Co-workers serve as examples

There are some exceptions, however. Doug Sharp, director of the School of Accountancy and an associate professor, ranks at the top of faculty/staff annual fund givers. He does not have a WSU degree but feels compelled to give nonetheless.

"I believe in what we are trying to do at WSU," says Sharp. "Success will not be possible without private support. I believe I should contribute to this support."

In asking others for contributions, Sharp says he feels his argument is strengthened if he, too, has done his part.

"WSU has provided me considerable opportunity over the years. Contributing something back is one way to help repay for those many opportunities," he says.

About the Annual Fund for Excellence

Each September through May, 18 students converge in the basement of Woodman Alumni Center five evenings a week to ask for support from loyal alumni and friends.

The Annual Fund for Excellence solicits funds for student scholarships, faculty and staff development, and equipment and technology needs campus wide. Donors may earmark funds for a particular college or program, or the money will be placed in the general operating fund.

For more information, contact Brandon Smith, b_smith@twsu.edu or ext. 3819.

Sally Fiscus, academic records manager in the College of Engineering, agrees. Even if her husband, Bruce, were not a two-time Shocker alum and she did not have a WSU associate's degree, she would still support the university monetarily.

"The university has given so much to us. As an employee at WSU, each day is potentially a day filled with opportunity to learn something new," says Fiscus.

Sally Fiscus, a classified employee who works in the College of Engineering, and business faculty member Doug Sharp have been longtime supporters of WSU's annual fund campaign. This year, an effort is being made to contact all faculty and staff to contribute to the fund.

The importance of annual gifts

No matter what the cause, consistent, annual gifts are the lifeblood of a higher education institution. Annual giving institutes a stable base of donors who can be developed into higher level supporters; after all, the bulk of money given away annually in the United States comes from individuals. Loyal annual contributors also "buy in" to the organization and spread word of its mission to others.

In fiscal year 1999, 5,936 donors supported the WSU annual fund with nearly $300,000. However, with a database of about 58,000 alumni with current addresses, there is a potential to increase the percentage of participation and the amount raised, Smith says.

Emphasis on annual giving made through changes

To enhance the annual fund, in addition to the new faculty/staff campaign, two other changes are being made:

Name change. The former Annual Fund is now called the Annual Fund for Excellence. The "for Excellence" was approved by the annual giving committee of the Endowment Association's National Advisory Council to stress the emphasis of all funds generated during the campaign - to make Wichita State excel in all it does.

Staffing. Instead of a development director assigned to both the annual fund and an academic college, the Annual Fund for Excellence now has a full-time coordinator. Smith, a 1999 WSU graduate, joined the Endowment Association in June.