Dear Colleagues,
It seems I have been sharing a lot of good news lately, and I’m pleased to say this is the case again today. I wanted you to know that we have exceeded another 2025 target, this time for Winthrop Plan, Goal 5: Unrestricted Gift Revenues.
As the press release below highlights, thanks to the generosity of our donors and the hard work of our University Advancement team, $714,212 was raised in 2018 for the Winthrop Fund, surpassing the 2025 target of $700,000.
This response demonstrates that alumni, friends, parents, students, and you, our faculty and staff, understand that every gift matters. We will continue to build off of this year’s success, and support and implement initiatives that create a culture of giving on campus and in our community. Our generous donors have provided critical scholarship support to our students, and we can’t thank them enough for their continued support of Winthrop.
You can read more below about the Winthrop Fund effort and the important role of the recently established Winthrop Leadership Society in our success. While there is still more we can do to encourage philanthropy across campus and with our extended Winthrop family, I want to personally thank you for all the ways you support our fundraising generally and student scholarships in particular.
Sincerely,
Dan
Winthrop Exceeds 2025 Fundraising Goal for Unrestricted Annual Giving
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – A flurry of end-of-year giving propelled Winthrop ahead of a strategic goal to increase support for student scholarships and other university initiatives.
For the 2018 calendar year, $714,212 was raised for the Winthrop Fund, the university’s key source for unrestricted annual giving, which surpassed the 2025 Winthrop Plan target of $700,000.
This significant achievement was made possible by the generosity of 1,668 donors who contributed to the success of the Winthrop Fund in 2018.
“Alumni, friends, parents, students, faculty and staff understand that every gift matters, and we are truly grateful for this level of support that helped us surpass a significant fundraising goal,” President Dan Mahony said. “The university will continue to build off of this year’s success, and support and implement initiatives that create a culture of giving on campus and in our community. Our generous donors have provided critical scholarship support to our students, and we can’t thank them enough for their continued support of Winthrop.”
The 2018 amount raised represents the second-largest total ever raised for the Winthrop Fund.
This year’s total supports one of the major fiscal goals of the Winthrop Plan, the university strategic plan through 2025, which is to ensure financial stability and sustainability.
Unrestricted gifts are a critical revenue source for the Winthrop Fund, which supports student scholarships, University Advancement/Winthrop Alumni Association, faculty awards and other university initiatives on an annual basis. Without restrictions, the funds can be used immediately where they are most needed.
An key strategy in the Winthrop Plan is to develop and implement innovative approaches to fundraising. One of the newest donor initiatives is the Winthrop Leadership Society, which recognizes donors who pledge to make annual gifts of $1,000 or more to Winthrop over a five-year period. The generosity of these donors provides long-term financial stability, with significant funds already pledged before the beginning of each year.
For more information about the Winthrop Fund or the Winthrop Leadership Society, please contact Evan Bohnen, vice president for university advancement, at 800/801-1083 or bohnene@winthrop.edu.
