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Celebrating the end of the fundraising fiscal year. The Bottom Line sang "I Gotta Gift," a fundraising-inspired ditty sung to the tune of the Beach Boys' "I Get Around." Photo by Vernon Doucette |
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On the cloudy afternoon of July 14, a hodgepodge of black-and-white-clad singers gathered around an empty straw hat. No, this wasn’t Harvard Square, but the pristine eighteenth floor of the Student Village residence hall on Buick Street. In the middle of the smiling throng of Development and Alumni Relations staff who make up the a cappella group The Bottom Line was their leader, Christopher Reaske, vice president of university development and alumni relations and a fine tenor. The BU Development and Alumni team was celebrating the success of fiscal year 2004 fundraising. In addition to the vocal renderings of the group, the party included refreshments and a speech by Reaske. Before the traditional unveiling of the amount raised—$90,239,040—the vice president declared the total, although down from the previous year, a “terrific” outcome “in a tough, tough fundraising climate.” Reaske also praised the group for “tremendous attitude” in a difficult time and commended his “loyal, upbeat staff. We have a lot of talent here,” Reaske went on to say. “We’re going to have a fantastic year coming up.”
Though the total was down, fundraising continued at a healthy pace overall, with many areas of the University showing marked increases. “When you consider the atmosphere for fundraising right now, we actually really did beat last year,” said Lisa Uglialoro, the office’s executive director of administration and finance. The University has raised $363 million over the last four years. Individual giving showed impressive gains, up almost $10 million over last year, to $44.9 million. Donations from friends of BU, individuals who are not alumni, nearly doubled, up to $23.5 million from $11.8 million a year ago.
There are many reasons for optimism about the future of BU fundraising: continued strong support for the Student Village and BU athletics, as well as innovative giving programs. “On our end, the Annual Fund side, we had another record year,” said David Walko, director of the annual fund for athletics. The athletics program took in over $8 million in fiscal year ’04, up almost 80 percent from last year, and the Student Village campaign continues strong, with $56.3 million tallied since its inception. Also showing increases were the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Communication, the School of Hospitality Administration, and the School of Public Health, which won grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that helped increase the school’s fundraising total from $1.8 to $9 million. SPH’s successful fundraising efforts will finance research “that will lead to improvements in the nation’s health care delivery system and the health of the nation,” said SPH Associate Dean for Research Mark Prashker.
The celebration came to a close with gales of laughter and friendly conversation all around. The annual event is a “morale-booster,” said Amy Osborne, graphic designer and production manager with the BU publications group. “This is a chance for us to get out of our offices and see one another—it’s a community-building opportunity.” No doubt many staffers and administrators left the party with their spirits buoyed, ready to make FY2005 a roaring success.
—Nathaniel Beyer |
