06/04/91
CONTACT: Stanford University News Service (650) 723-2558
STANFORD-- One goal of Stanford's five-year Centennial Campaign has been to increase the connections between the university's past, present and future.
"The campaign will require us to stimulate the interest and participation of new friends in substantial numbers," the four campaign co- chairs wrote in a 1986 statement that launched the five-year effort.
The co-chairs -- Roy Anderson, AB '47, MBA '49; Peter Bing, AB '56; Bill Kimball, AB '41; and Linda Meier, AB '61 -- set out to bring today's campus community members and alumni volunteers in face-to-face contact with almost 14,000 alumni, many of whom had not heard from the university in years.
Another 50,000 alumni, by the end of the campaign next February, are to be telephoned by alumni and student volunteers.
Finally, a goal has been to bring as many as possible back to campus for a visit, said Kimball of Belvedere, Calif., a 35-year veteran of campaigning for Stanford. "I've seen people who triple their gift after visiting the campus. It's very interesting for them to see all the physical changes if they haven't been back for 10 to 15 years."
Together the four coordinators, all present and former trustees with a combined total of more than 100 years as Stanford volunteers, led a mobilization of the largest volunteer force in the university's development history: About 8,700 people have volunteered for the campaign since it began in 1986, according to Elizabeth Sloan, director of communications in the Office of Development.
The number of young alumni volunteers -- those who graduated in the 1980s and later -- more than tripled, Sloan said. Kimball credits the Development Office staff with helping to increase the number of volunteers. "They are enthusiastic and intelligent, and they talk back to us if we get a wrong idea. That, in turn, has bred a good volunteer corps."
About 3,600 people manned telephone solicitation drives nationwide, and about 1,600 students volunteered. The volunteer assignments were two-fold: Ask the prospect to participate in the campaign, but additionally, re-establish ties between the prospect and Stanford. More than 10,000 prospects have been personally contacted.
To accomplish the massive outreach, the volunteer organization was arranged by giving level. The Major Gifts program solicits gifts above $100,000, for a total campaign goal of $500 million. Keystone volunteers solicit gifts in the $10,000 to $100,000 range, for a total campaign goal of $60 million. The Annual Fund asks for gifts of up to $10,000, and, unlike the other two programs, solicits donors each year. Its dollar goal during the five years of the campaign was $40 million.
The remainder of the $1.1 billion has come from foundations, corporations and bequests.
Volunteers have taken the participation goals as seriously as the dollar goals. "Our volunteers and staff are continuing to set the pace," said Kay Grace, BA '59, MA '75, and volunteer national chair of the Keystone Program. "We're confident about our ultimate success."
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