College fundraising at all-time high

Administrators look forward to new projects

There's the planned Science Center that will be the largest capital project in the history of Oberlin College; and then there's the idea of a new student union that keeps popping up in long-range planning discussions; and of course there's also the talk about the need for new dorms and living arrangements for students.

Although these projects are mostly still mere sparkles in administrators' eyes, the College is already planning a way to finance any massive capital projects that might come Oberlin's way.

The College is planning the largest capital fundraising campaign in Oberlin's history to accumulate over $150 million within five years of it's start, according to Vice President for Development Young Dawkins.

The campaign won't be announced in public until 1999, but hiring and planning for the campaign is starting now.

Dawkins said he hopes to have raised $60 to $70 million before the kickoff however.

President Nancy Dye emphasized that the projects which will benfit from the campaign are not determined yet. She said determining the projects is one function of the current long-range planning process.

The Board of Trustees approved a $7.3 million withdrawal from the endowment over the next seven years for the planning and staffing of the campaign. The funding will go to increased staff and publicity materials.

Dawkins is enthusiastic about the prospect for a successful campaign due in part to the record-breaking fundraising his office has done this year. At this point in last year's fiscal year, which begins in July, the College had received $9.4 million in gifts. This year that figure is $14.3 million.

Dawkins said he is confident the College will break the $18.15 million record set in fiscal year 1987-88.

The record-breaking year was helped along by two $3 million gifts given in the fall to the Center for Service and Learning and the Environmental Studies Center. But gifts across the board are up as well.

The growth is coming not from a greater number of donations, but from larger amounts individually. Dawkins said asking for simply larger amounts is something his staff has been working on.

Dawkins said the improved organization and staffing in the areas of development and alumni affairs is one reason for the larger revenue. He also said the department is thinking much more creatively and seriously about how to say thank you to donors. One way they are doing this is by asking students who benefit from a donation - recipients of a specific scholarship for example - to write a thank-you letter. Response from donors to this approach has been overwhelmingly positive, Dawkins said.

Additionally Dawkins said he thinks donors were beginning to really respond to Dye's leadership of the College.

Dawkins said the overwhelming majority of gifts to the College come from alumni and that 42 percent of alumni donate to the school.

The capital campaign will be conducted by asking all alumni and friends of Oberlin to consider giving the largest gift they have ever given to Oberlin.

The last capital campaign ended in 1991 and raised $92 million.

Dawkins said the work of raising money is simply asking for it. He said he loves his job and loves raising money. "I believe in what I'm asking for," he said. "I like people and my job lets me meet the most amazing people. People are never nicer than when they are being generous."

Dawkins said fundraising is based on careful listening to what potential donors care about.

"There's not trickery in what we do," Dawkins said. "It's not smarmy. That especially wouldn't work with Oberlin people."