College Advancement
Throughout the last year, the Office of College Advancement enhanced the connections among alumni, parents and Dickinson through revamped regional and on-campus events, a new website and a more focused outreach strategy. As a result, the college saw an increase in event attendance as well as a record-breaking single day of support on the Day of Giving, April 21, 2015, which generated 2,107 gifts amounting to $449,945 in contributions. This helped lead to $9.2 million in gifts and pledges for the 2015 fiscal year (July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015).
Acting on feedback gathered from a comprehensive engagement survey conducted in 2014, the college offered alumni and parents more access to the intellectual experience that defines Dickinson. Live-streamed Clarke Forum lectures and One College One Community events bringing faculty to regional clubs enabled Dickinsonians around the world to reconnect with the liberal-arts education they enjoyed as students.
Additionally, advancement staff shifted to a more personalized and affinity-based approach to communicating and interacting with alumni and parents, including 1,015 personal visits—up more than 100 percent from recent years. This shift in approach resulted in increased traffic to the alumni website; the establishment of regional alumni and parent leadership councils in Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia; and the recruitment of almost 250 new advancement volunteers. The Devils’ Advocates Student Philanthropy Council also recruited 30 students representing all four classes to raise awareness about, and solicit their peers on behalf of, the Dickinson Fund.
Recognizing that Dickinson families and graduates are the college’s most powerful resources, the Office of College Advancement will continue to refine this more regional, affinity-based and personalized approach to inspire new annual and leadership donors and volunteers committed to helping the college carry out its mission.