Major
Gifts Committee Meets to Review Campaign Progress
Discussion Focuses on Strategies to Increase Involvement at the Major Gifts
Level
 Members
of the Major Gifts Committee convened in New York City on March 9 to discuss
Campaign progress and outline goals for the remainder of this last year
of the Quiet Phase. The committee is tasked with identifying strategies
to match donors with University-wide funding priorities at the $100,000
up to $1,000,000 level.
“Villanova’s alumni, parents and friends have
generously supported the goals of The Campaign through Major Gift commitments,”
noted Herbert F. Aspbury ’73, chairman of the Major Gifts Committee.
“This has generated significant momentum and has created a heightened
level of interest in the University and its needs. It’s the Committee’s
responsibility to capitalize on this and create more opportunities for
involvement in The Campaign as it moves forward.”
Early support at the Major Gifts level has provided a
solid foundation on which to gauge future Campaign success. Mary R. McRae
’82, associate vice president for Development, noted that, “We
are seeing more and more new donors stepping forward at this level. At
this point in The Campaign, more than 75% of Major Gifts commitments are
from alumni, parents, and friends who did not participate in the last
campaign. This is a strong indicator not only of the University’s
generous donor base, but of the willingness among the extended Villanova
community to help secure its future.”
 The
meeting featured a review of The Campaign through just more than three
years of Quiet Phase activity and a discussion of critical benchmarks
that need to be met in anticipation of a public announcement later this
year. The group also talked about strategies to identify and engage key
Major Gift prospects and agreed to work with the Development staff to
identify alumni, parents, and friends in their region that may be interested
in supporting the University’s priorities.
“The members of this Committee are playing an important
role in achieving Campaign objectives,” added McRae. “Their
efforts to reach out to donors and find new ways to involve them with
the University have generated great results. As The Campaign continues,
this committee’s work will continue to have a positive impact on
the campus and its faculty, students, and programs.”
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