Donors pick where the money goes

April 7, 2005
By Lisa M. Larranaga
Staff Writer

With $43 million raised over the past six years, donations are a big piece of the Ambrose advantage.

Over those six years, St. Ambrose University’s advancement office has been working hard to plan, market and fundraise for the future with the help of the around 25 percent of alumni who donate back to the university.

Generally, donors are age 50 and older, vice president of advancement, Dr. Ed Littig said. Most alumni are likely to donate at this age because their children are raised and their career has had time to grow and become successful.

The advancement office keeps in contact with alumni through items such as the Scene magazine, activities, outings and Calling All Bees, a fundraising campaign that hires current students to call alumni to keep in contact and ask for monetary donations.

“I go by the saying ‘The bee that gets the honey doesn’t hang around the hive’,” Littig said. “We have to put in time and keep in contact with the alumni for them to keep in contact with us.”

Most alumni donate because of the tie they’ve made to SAU through memorable social and educational bonds.

“Developmentally college students are going from adolescence to adulthood while in college,” Littig said. “It’s a very exciting time that forms lasting memories of learning and friendship.”

Donations are placed into four categories. Annual donations, which go towards such things as scholarships; program money, which goes to specific departments within the university; capital needs, for big projects such as the University Center; and the endowment or SAU’s savings.

Each donor decides where they would like their money to go and for what cause. Of the $43 million donated in the last six years, $20 million went towards capital needs, $9.3 was for individual departments and scholarships, $7.8 million was differed or gifts of insurance, $3 million went towards the endowment, and $2.4 million was government grants.

“The primary value is the donor and that we put their money where they want it,” Littig said.

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