Amherst College Parents' Fund Volunteer Handbook

28 Pages·2008·0.61 MB·English

Amherst College
A
2008-09
Parents’ Fund
Volunteer Handbook
Development Class of 2009 Chairs
PO Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000 Michael and Cynthia McKee P’09
[phone] fax: [phone] (son, Graham ’09)
Toll-free gift line: (866) 542-GIFT (4438) [phone] (home)
Online: www.amherst.edu/give Michael’s E-mail: [email protected]
Cynthia’s E-mail: [email protected]
Director of the Parents’ Fund
Eva Rosenn ‘83 Class of 2010 Chairs
[phone] Kenneth and Susan Rosenthal Kramer ’81, P’10
[email protected] (son, Nicholas ’10)
[phone] (home)
Parents’ Fund Chairs Ken’s E-mail: [email protected]
Paul ’76 and Joanne Schnell P’11 Susan’s E-mail: [email protected]
(daughter, Samantha ’11)
Paul and Nathy Yakaitis P’10
[phone] (home)
(son, Scott ’10)
Paul’s E-mail: [email protected]
[phone] (home)
Joanne’s E-mail: [email protected]
Paul’s E-mail: [email protected]
Nathy’s E-mail: [email protected]
Class of 2011 Chairs
Mike and Hope Fitzgerald P’11
(son, Reid ’11)
[phone] (home)
Mike’s E-mail: [email protected]
Hope’s E-mail: [email protected]
Linda Perkins P’11
(daughter, Lauren ’11)
[phone] (home)
Linda’s E-mail: [email protected]
Class of 2012 Chairs
Gregory and Debora Clower P’12
(daughter, Megan ’12)
[phone] (home)
Home E-mail: [email protected]

Johann Scheidt and Marianne Balazs P’12
(daughter, Anna-Elisabeth ’12)
[phone] (home)
Johann’s E-mail: [email protected]
Marianne’s E-mail: [email protected]
A Message from the Parents’ Fund Chairs
Dear Parents’ Fund Volunteers,
Thank you so much for volunteering for the Parents’ Fund Committee. More than 70 families
have joined the Committee this year. We’ve talked with many of you and there is a deep, shared
appreciation for what Amherst means for our children.
We’ve also talked with some of you about the challenge of asking our fellow parents to make
gifts during these difficult economic times. All of us are dealing with issues in our communities
and in our family and personal situations. Yet, we believe parents will recognize that it is even more
important in times like these to support Amherst.
The funds we raise make possible, in a direct way, the special academic, extracurricular and
social experience that Amherst provides for our children. Our donations help offset the large
gap between tuition and the actual cost of educating students, and form a significant part of the
College’s annual operating budget.
Our gifts also represent an opportunity for us to continue a long tradition of parents providing
financial support for the College—in good times and in bad. Just as the support of past generations
of parents and alumni helped Amherst produce many of the leaders who are dealing with today’s
challenges, our support will enable Amherst to better prepare tomorrow’s leaders, our children.
Our communities, the country and the world will continue to need people with Amherst educations.
Last year the Parents’ Fund contributed nearly $670,000 to the $10.7 million raised in the An-
nual Fund. This year our goal is to raise at least $650,000 for the Parents’ Fund, including 92 gifts at
the 1821 Society level (gifts of $1,821 or more) and 30 gifts at the Noah Webster Circle level (gifts of
$10,000 or more). We would also like to increase the number of parents who participate. Last year,
28.5% of parents contributed to the Parents’ Fund; this year we would like to reach 30% for the
parents of classes 2010, 2011 and 2012. For the parents of this year’s senior class (2009), our goal will
be to have their percentage participation at least match that of their children; last year, over 82% of
the seniors contributed to the Senior Class gift!
Your outreach to parents is the key. We realize that not all parents will be able to make large
donations, but gifts of any size help us reach our goals and, more importantly, afford families a
greater sense of connection to Amherst.
As many of you know, Amherst is launching a comprehensive fund-raising campaign this fall.
The Parents’ Fund is an important part of that campaign, and it is a goal of the College that donors
who participate in other ways in the campaign also maintain their annual giving.
We hope this handbook will be helpful in your fundraising efforts. If you have any questions
as you make your calls, or have any suggestions, please feel free to contact us, your Class Chairs,
or Eva Rosenn, the Director of the Parents’ Fund.
Thank you again for volunteering for Amherst. We look forward to working with you.
Paul ’76 and Joanne Schnell
Chairs, Amherst College Parents’ Fund
(parents of Samantha ’11)

Contents A
Section One
Parents’ Fund Overview
5 Timeline
6 The Case for Support: Why Give to the Parents’ Fund
7 The 1821 Society
Section Two
Your Role as a Volunteer
10 Volunteer Role Descriptions
11 A Note about Confidentiality

Section Three
Making the Call
12 Preparation
13 Ten Steps for Making the Call
14 Handling Concerns and Objections
16 What Counts and Why
16 Ways to Make a Contribution
Section Four
Tools and Other Resources
18 Call Reports and Contributor Slips
18 Follow-up Materials
18 Bulletins & Progress Reports
18 Thank-You Notes
19 Expenses
20 Sample Thank-You Notes
Section Five
Helpful Facts
21 Past Statistics for the Parents’ Fund
22 Results of Giving to the Parents’ Fund for FY08 vs. FY07
23 Amherst Facts
24 Amherst Web and Online Resources
25 Important Phone Numbers

Section One: Parents’ Fund Overview A
2008-2009 Parents’ Fund Timeline
October October 22 College mails first Parents’ Fund solicitation (general)
Week of Oct. 22 Committee Members receive assignments and begin solicitations
(ongoing throughout the Fund year)
Oct. 24-26 Family Weekend
November Nov. 7-8 Homecoming
Nov. 24 College mails second Parents’ Fund solicitation (class)
December Week of Dec. 1 Committee Members receive Update progress report and continue solicitations
and thank-you’s
December 12 College sends out tuition statement for Spring 2009 Semester
January Week of Jan. 7 Committee Members receive Update progress report and continue
solicitations and thank-you’s
February Week of Feb. 4 Committee Members receive Update progress report and continue
solicitations and thank-you’s
February 18 College mails third Parents’ Fund solicitation (class)
March Week of March 4 Committee Members receive Update progress report and continue
solicitations and thank-you’s
April Week of April 1 Committee Members receive Update progress report and continue
solicitations and thank-you’s
April 3 College mails fourth Parents’ Fund solicitation (general)
May Week of May 4 Committee Members receive Update progress report and continue
solicitations and thank-you’s
Week of May 12 College mails final reminder postcard
May 24 Commencement
June Week of June 3 Committee Members receive Bulletin progress report and continue
solicitations and thank-you’s
June 30 Annual Fund officially closes
July Week of July 10 Committee Members receive end-of-the-year Parents’ Fund report
Week of July 28 Committee members receive final Update
Parents’ Fund Chairs and Class Chairs mail final thank-you letters
Amherst College 2008-2009 Parents’ Fund 5
Section One: Parents’ Fund Overview A
The Case for Support: Why Give to the Parents’ Fund?
Amherst College’s mission is worthy of our support.
Helping to fund an academic environment like Amherst’s is an investment in your child’s future.
Parents’ Fund gifts support a place of discovery, intellectual integrity, and academic excellence.
Moreover, a gift to the Parents’ Fund is a vote of confidence in the College, a vote that is counted by
foundations awarding grants and associations of higher education accreditation.
Amherst cannot achieve its priorities without the Parents’ Fund.
Faculty: Amherst’s strength is its faculty. The College competes with top universities to recruit
new faculty members who are committed to excellence in both teaching and research. Amherst
must provide competitive compensation and benefits, along with opportunities for research and
professional advancement in order to recruit and retain the highest quality faculty.
Financial Aid: Amherst is also committed to admitting students regardless of financial need. In
1999, Amherst became the first college in the nation to eliminate loans for low-income students; in
2007, it was the third school in the country to announce that loans will be replaced by scholarships
for all students, so no student will graduate overburdened by debt. In 2008, Amherst announced that
it will be need-blind for international students. To guarantee the success of these new initiatives,
the College seeks to grow the Annual Fund while endowment funds are secured to sustain this
commitment in perpetuity.
Facilities: Facility maintenance and upgrades are also a high priority for the College. Gifts to the
Parents’ Fund are used to maintain an outstanding library, which must include new publications,
periodicals, and journals; provide research equipment and opportunities for science
and non-science students alike; and invest in technology for our classrooms, labs,
Comprehensive fee and administrative buildings.
$46,760
The Parents’ Fund is an opportunity to join alumni and friends in
Budgeted cost bridging the gap between the actual cost of an Amherst education
per student and the tuition.
$93,000 The comprehensive fee covers approximately 52% of the cost of an Amherst educa-
tion, which means that every student, including those paying full tuition, receives
Operating budget some level of subsidy. With spending from the endowment set at a specific rate to
$138,497,000 preserve the purchasing power of the income, and with tuition increases kept at
a minimum, gifts from Amherst parents, alumni, and friends help all students in
funding the full cost of an Amherst education.
6 Amherst College 2008-2009 Parents’ Fund
Section One: Parents’ Fund Overview A
Here’s how Amherst spends every dollar
contributed to the Parents’ Fund:
55¢ Teaching and Housing Students
20¢ Offering Financial Aid
13¢ Taking Care of the Physical Plant
12¢ Administering the College
55¢ 20¢ 13¢ 12¢
The 1821 Society
This year we celebrate the sixth anniversary of the 1821 Society. The 1821 Society commemorates
Amherst’s founding year and recognizes leadership giving to the Annual Fund. Last year 1,601
alumni, parents, and friends became 1821 Society members, contributing more than $8.4 million.
Historically, giving society donations have accounted for nearly 80 percent of the money raised
each year for the Annual Fund. Leadership donations to the Annual Fund, however, represent much
more than commitment and generosity on the part of parents, alumni, and friends of the College.
Because the Annual Fund is replenished every year, the power of current-use funds that parents and
alumni donate through the Annual Fund is remarkable:
Each dollar donated to the Parents’ Fund is analogous to the income
from $20 in endowment.
A yearly gift of $1,821 to the Parents’ Fund is the equivalent of establish-
ing an endowed fund of just over $36,000 (given an average endowment
spending rate of 5%).
A $10,000 yearly gift to the Parents’ Fund is commensurate with a
$200,000 endowment gift.

All 1821 Society members receive credit for personal gifts, pledge payments, and anticipated match-
ing gifts. The following chart outlines the estimated number of gifts in the leadership categories
sought to achieve a Parents’ Fund goal of $650,000 by June 30, 2009 (the overall Annual Fund goal
is $10 million).
Amherst College 2008-2009 Parents’ Fund 7
Section One: Parents’ Fund Overview A
Range *Actual FY08 Projected FY09 Total Projected
# Donors # Donors FY09 Dollars
<$1821 many many $30,000
$1821-$2,499 41 42 $70,000
$2,500-$4,999 31 32 $50,000
$5,000-$9,999 18 18 $75,000
$10,000-$24,999 24 24 $175,000
$25,999-49,999 5 4 $100,000
$50,000-$99,999 0 1 $50,000
$100,000 0 1 $100,000
Total 1821 Donors 119 122 $650,000
* Included in the 1821 donor count are alumni parents who split their 1821 Society gift between the Alumni Fund and the Parents’ Fund.
The Noah Webster Circle
The fall of 2007 saw the debut of the Noah Webster Circle of the 1821 Society, which recognizes
those donors giving $10,000 or more. The Noah Webster Circle is named in honor of Noah Webster,
who played a vital role in fundraising for and shaping Amherst, and was president of the Board of
Trustees when the College began in 1821. Noah Webster Circle members provide critical support for
the College’s top priorities, which include offering financial aid to all students who need it, increasing
support for faculty in their research and creative endeavors, adding programs to connect the curricu-
lum with global issues and creating new opportunities for students to learn outside the classroom.
1821 Society Recognition ($1,821-$9,999)
• Limited edition journal or other materials featuring key presidential speeches, public lectures at
Amherst, or publications about the College or by members of the community.
• Invitation to attend special 1821 Society events, both on and off campus.
• An acknowledgment letter from the Chief Advancement Officer.
• Notation of 1821 Society membership on class thank-you letters.
8 Amherst College 2008-2009 Parents’ Fund