WCU faculty, staff giving campaign nets nearly 40 new donors
Paws joins other members of the Western Carolina University community visiting Shetland ponies as part of an annual day to recognize faculty and staff donors
By Bill Studenc
Nearly 40 faculty and staff members now have a new title to go along with their position at Western Carolina University, and that title is “new donor.”
A total of 38 employees have made their first philanthropic gift to WCU since the beginning of the fiscal year, and they are among the 316 faculty and staff donors who are currently giving back to the university financially in addition to the work that they do on a daily basis.
Nearly 20 percent of WCU’s total workforce has made a contribution to the university so far this fiscal year, which started July 1.
New donors account for 12.03% of all faculty and staff our donors this year. Reactivated donors – those who have made a gift during the current fiscal year but had not made a gift since the 2023 fiscal year or before – tally 22, which is nearly 7% of all employee donors this year.
An initiative to increase the number of faculty and staff donors, which began Sept. 4, concluded Wednesday, Oct. 23.
And, as is the case with many things across Western North Carolina, the arrival of Hurricane Helene upended plans for that campaign, originally scheduled to include the presentation of the Faculty/Staff Giving Champions Trophy to the campus division and academic college with the highest participation rate of donors. That friendly competition was canceled for 2024 and will resume as part of next year’s initiative.
In the aftermath of the storm, many faculty and staff donors decided to direct their gifts to two emergency funds – one for students and the other for employees – to support those members of the campus community who suffered negative impacts from Helene, said Rebekah Cheney, director of annual giving. See related story.
“The campaign started out as a competition but finished as a rally around WCU community members affected by Hurricane Helene,” Cheney said. “I want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who contributed to this year’s campaign. These last few weeks seeing so many individuals step up to help their fellow Catamounts through emergency support have been especially meaningful. This is the embodiment of Catamount spirit, and I’m so grateful for each of these donors.”
Faculty and staff who contribute a minimum of $5 annually are members of WCU’s Shetland Society. One of four giving societies established by the Division of Advancement in 2020 to celebrate the impact of philanthropy, the society is named for the Shetland ponies that then-Chancellor A.C. Reynolds purchased in 1912 to haul supplies by cart back and forth from Sylva to campus.
Faculty and staff donors were recognized during the fourth annual Shetland Society Day, held Wednesday, Sept. 25, in and around A.K. Hinds University Center.
For more information about becoming a donor, visit makeagift.wcu.edu or contact Cheney at 828-227-2868 or via email at rcheney@wcu.edu.
