Apr. 2, 2014
CWU Alumni Respond to 30-Day Challenge With $400,000 in Donations
Central Washington University more than doubled the hoped-for outcomes of a recent alumni outreach campaign. The 30-day Impact Challenge sought 300 donors in June, but 744 alumni actually responded to the challenge, donating nearly $400,000.
“We’re delighted at the response of Wildcat Nation,” said Scott Wade, CWU’s executive director of University Advancement. “We’d have been happy to hit our target—to more than double it is just incredible. We couldn’t be happier!”
The Impact Challenge launched on May 30 at the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. The event brought more than 300 alumni together with top CWU scholars, who won awards at the CWU Symposium On University Research and Creative Expression.
The challenge campaign capped a year in which CWU doubled the number of outreach events to alumni. More than 1,250 alumni and 500 students have participated statewide in events that range from a career-planning workshop, to professional networking to the research symposium and celebration at EMP.
“Our alumni are wonderful partners in the life of the university,” said Wade. “They provide professional expertise and mentorship to our students while giving to scholarships and other areas of program support. We’re proud of our alumni and want to engage them in the work of advancing CWU forward in the months and years ahead.
Wade added that non-public support has grown in importance as state funding for public universities has dropped by more than 50 percent since 2009. Now, just 16 percent of CWU’s total budget comes from the state.
About CWU 80,000 alumni reside in Washington, with nearly 100,000 around the world.
Media contact: Robert Lowery, CWU Public Affairs, 509-963-1476, loweryr@cwu.edu
July 25, 2013