Deborah K. Swanson

I’ve begun writing direct mail fundraising programs for Caltech and I’m glad to say we’ve been having some great results. The alumni are coming through!

Participation rate is one of the measures by which universities are ranked, with Princeton being at the top. That’s because they’ve been at the annual fundraising game for a long, long time, with generations of families attending, creating a strong bond with the institution. Their annual giving program is a powerful machine with a huge alumni base. Caltech is a tiny university in comparison to, well, to just about anywhere. Our alumni base is small, under 20,000, even though the school was established in 1891. Most of our students receive substantial financial aid and the frequency of generational attendance is small.

I’m glad to say we are ahead of our goal for this year as of the end of July. Our fiscal goal is 30%, and we’re nearly there. More to come on this subject, various types of direct mail appeals, and more. Thanks to my pal Noel for his guidance and advice, as well as the AGPN crew and my coworkers.