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Partners in Annual Giving will be 'dialing for dollars' this month

By Lindsey Myers '08
September 30, 2005

In September, phones rang across the nation as students and other volunteers made calls to approximately 20,000 households of St. Olaf alumni and parents of past and current students.

Beginning Sept. 18, the Partners in Annual Giving Phonathon worked toward a $3.7 million fund-raising goal that the college hopes to achieve by May 31, 2006. Current students reached out to alumni and parents to request financial donations for the college.

"The phonathon has always been a great way to connect with alumni and parents, while helping to secure important yearly financial support", says Assistant Director of Annual Giving Megan Astry '04, who supervised this year's phonathon.

Armed with laptops, headsets and good spirit, students engage those they call in personal and pertinent conversation in hopes of exceeding last year's contributions. For fiscal year 2005, phonathon student callers raised more than $810,000. This year the callers tried to gain even more participation: both in dollars raised and in numbers of alumni who contributed.

The contributions directly support instruction, financial aid, student scholarships and many other programs that make a St. Olaf education more broadly available to students of all income levels. "I couldn't have gone through school without the Partners fund," one recent donor said.

"Others should have the same privilege."

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.