Recently we learned that the Five for Five Challenge was a success – in total, $8.38 million was raised, exceeding the College’s goal of $8.1 million. 41.1% of alumni participated, a 5 percent increase over last year. This is great news overall, but how did our class stack up?
19% of us gave a gift of some kind, with 123 total gifts that amounted to $3,632. Not bad for being just one year out of college! One of our head class agents, Melanie Haber, weighed in on the subject.
“Our number of gifts this year was great because, of course, every alum and every dollar we get goes towards helping the Mount Holyoke Fund,” she said. And participation is key. Any amount helps, especially when it comes to funding the day to day operations of the College. “So even if you can give $1,” Melanie adds, “we will graciously accept!”
When reunions come around, especially major ones, there tends to be a bump in giving. For those who attended the Alumnae Association meeting following our Laurel Parade, you may remember that our grandmothers had an exceptional 100% giving rate. While our goals are not so lofty (for now), we too had an impressive rate in 2010 with a 45% giving rate in the form of our Senior Gift, setting the bar high for our two-year reunion.
Melanie notes that there is more than one way to give back to the school, extending an invitation to become a class agent. “It’s simple and it goes a long way,” she says. “We would love to have anyone who is interested in getting involved!” If you would like to become a class agent, or simply learn more about what is involved, fill out our “Contact Us” form and we’ll send you more information.