For more information, contact:
Kim Robinson
Director of Capital Campaigns and Donor Relations
410-455-3700

trowbrid@umbc.edu

UMBC ANNUAL FUND

The Direct Impact of Your Gifts
How are your gifts being used? Read more about the Campaign initiatives being supported by FY07 Annual Giving by clicking here.

Alumni Participation at a Five-Year High
The Office of Alumni Relations would like to thank each alum who made a gift to UMBC this past fiscal year. Together, 2,541 alumni donors contributed more than $400,000 to the Annual Fund! This not only broke our Exceptional by Example goal for the year, but it is also the highest percentage of alumni participation UMBC has had in five years. We could not have achieved this success without you.

We also thank and recognize the 529 alumni donors who made their first ever gift this past year. As UMBC continues to grow and excel in its reputation and scope, so does its alumni community. Similarly, as the Exceptional by Example Campaign continues to strive toward its goals, hundreds of alumni are stepping up and meeting the needs of their alma mater. Thanks to every single person involved in last year's success. We look forward to an increasingly exciting and record-breaking year this year! 

What is the Annual Fund?
The UMBC Annual Fund is an integral part of the Exceptional by Example Campaign, a $100-million fundraising effort that will bring new resources to advance the mission and vision of the University. Every gift to the Annual Fund is counted as a gift to the Campaign and will help us reach our Campaign goals.

While many of the larger gifts to the Campaign are given to the University endowment, Annual Fund gifts have an immediate and direct impact on academic and other resources for our students. Because State funds provide less than 25% of the University’s operating budget, and tuition and fees alone do not cover the full cost of a UMBC education, these yearly gifts to the University help to keep a UMBC education within reach for our students and families and support the core elements of UMBC’s academic programs.

The Annual Fund runs every year from July 1 to June 30; donors to the Annual Fund are acknowledged in our annual donor honor roll each fall.

Who supports the Annual Fund?

Each year, thousands of alumni, parents, faculty and staff, and friends of the University support the Annual Fund.

Alumni make up the largest share of our Annual Fund donors, and as the University continues to increase its national visibility, alumni support becomes one of the most important factors influencing our national rankings in publications like U.S. News & World Report. Because these rankings are based in part on alumni participation, every alumni gift, regardless of size, is essential to UMBC’s progress. Currently, about 5% of our alumni support the Annual Fund; our goal is to double the percentage of alumni participation in the next five years.

The University is also extremely proud of its family and employee involvement, wherein many parents and faculty and staff give generously every year. Many parents continue to support UMBC’s Annual Fund long after their children graduate from UMBC, as do many emeritus and retired faculty and staff.

Where will my gift have an impact?

Annual Fund gifts through June 2009 will support UMBC’s Exceptional by Example Campaign, and gifts can easily be earmarked for any of the five campaign priorities:

The Fund for Teaching Innovation
The Fund for Academic and Career Success
The Graduate Student Success Fund
Living-Learning Community Expansion
The Black and Gold Scholarship Fund

If your passion and dedication to UMBC happens to lie outside these areas, the Annual Fund also provides options to designate gifts to specific departments, scholarships, or programs.

When should I give to the Annual Fund?
There is never a bad time to give to the Annual Fund, and you should be hearing from us through either mailings, by e-mail, or on the phone throughout the year. Because the Annual Fund operates based on the fiscal year, we strongly encourage those who have made an Annual Fund pledge, or have not yet given in this fiscal year, to please make sure gifts and pledge payments are received before the fiscal year ends on June 30. Making your gift in time will secure your name on our annual donor honor roll.

If you have questions about making an Annual Fund gift, or about a gift or pledge payment, please contact Phil Recchio, Annual Giving Coordinator, at 410-455-3464 or recchio@umbc.edu.

How will my Annual Fund gift affect Campaign goals?
All gifts to the Annual Fund are counted as gifts to the Exceptional by Example Campaign, whether they are designated to one of the Campaign priorities or to any other area.