Small schools lead fundraising efforts
Nursing and health professions have exceeded fundraising goals.
Published Sept. 7, 2007
The For All We Call Mizzou fundraising campaign's goal to raise $1 billion has been bolstered by donations from the university's largest colleges, but the smaller schools have been pulling their weight, too.
Two schools have even surpassed their goals and will continue to seek funding until the Dec. 31, 2008 campaign deadline.
The Sinclair School of Nursing is the leader among all of the campaign divisions proportionate to its goal.
As of July 31, the school had already collected 103 percent of its $5 million goal, according to the For All We Call Mizzou Web site.
"I've got to say, our goal was a small one, but it was attained nonetheless," said Tracy Feller, School of Nursing director for development. "Actually, our first goal was originally at $3 million, then we set the goal of $5 million."
Feller attributes the success to the generosity of nursing graduates and the type of fundraising events the school puts on.
"Nurses are great givers," Feller said. "But when they get out of school, they don't make a lot of money, and some are still paying off student loans, but they still want to give. That's been a key to our success: looking at how we tailor our (events) to what normal people can do. We do have some large donors, but without grassroots support as a foundation, it's harder to accomplish our goals."
Chancellor Brady Deaton will honor the faculty and staff of the School of Nursing and School of Law because more than 50 percent of their respective faculties and staffs donated money to the For All We Call Mizzou campaign.
Deaton will make a special announcement and hold a reception on Sept. 17, Feller said.
The School of Health Professions has also raised more than its target, with 102 percent of its $7 million goal already attained.
School of Health Professions spokeswoman Cheri Ghan credits the department's success to a large number of small donations.
"We were the first school on campus to reach our goal," Ghan said. "It was a lot of hard work by some really dedicated people. The majority of our gifts are actually smaller gifts that are from staff members, alumni, students and friends of the school that want to support us and support the University of Missouri."
Ghan said she is proud of her school's fundraising abilities since the school only became independent in December 2000.
"We are a very new school," Ghan said. "I think it's rather significant and very exciting to be the first division to meet its goal. I think it says a lot about what we do and the value of our graduates."
But not every school is breezing past its targets. The School of Human Environmental Sciences has met only 65 percent of its $15 million goal.
Nancy Schultz, the school's director of development said that although the school accomplished its first goal, the next goal of $15 million will be more difficult to reach.
"That is a sizeable goal for our small college," she said. "We will have to be very aggressive in the next few months to secure funding."
