Campaign close to goal, seeks donor participation

By Amanda Phipps
phippsa@mytjnow.com

Donors help keep the Winthrop Experience alive.

The Distinction Campaign raised over $35 million by the end of 2011 to help fund scholarships and help department programs as needed, said Amanda Stewart, director of communications and donor relations.

While the overall goal of the campaign is $50 million, smaller goals include creating and supplementing scholarships.

“We want to increase the reach and value of scholarships to help more students,” Stewart said.

The development office works with departments to find out their needs and match them with donors that have an interest in the department programs, Stewart said.

“The faculty members are being great about letting us know what their needs are,” she said.

The Campaign also supports programs that may run out of external funding, such as the social work department’s End-of-Life program, through immediate assistance from the Winthrop Fund, she said. While this program receives money from outside Winthrop, their funds will eventually end.

“We will hopefully find a donor to help the program to continue,” she said.

In October, the Campaign induced the first class of the DB Johnson society, whose members made planned, or estate, gifts to Winthrop, Stewart said.

The campaign’s biggest priority is to provide for students’ experience at Winthrop, she said.

“Many students are in a position where money is tight,” Stewart said. “If students can’t attend, it doesn’t matter what opportunities we can give them.”