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Once a year, groups of nostalgic Obies descend on Tappan Square to reconnect with former classmates and to celebrate the graduation of a new class of Oberlin alumni. Commencement/Reunion Weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for the College community, but the attendance at last May’s celebration was record breaking – with more than 3,000 alumni returning to campus for the annual festivities.
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The Class of '58 raised more than $7 million for their 50th reunion. |
Not only did the attendance at last year’s Commencement/Reunion weekend shatter all records, but the fundraising efforts of the individual reunion classes exceeded initial expectations – as did the total participation rate of alumni donors. Overall, the combined reunion classes raised $12,399,855.00 from more than 3,000 enthusiastic donors during the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
The culmination of the yearly fundraising cycle takes place during Reunion Weekend at the Champagne Luncheon, where the class gifts are formally presented by designated Class Agents. During the May 2008 luncheon, Agents for the Class of 1958 reported that the 50 th reunion group had raised more than $7 million with a participation rate of 72.5 percent, while Agents from the Classes of 1952, 1953, and 1954 announced that their cluster had eclipsed its $2 million goal and raised a total of $3,761,579. This group also boasted a participation rate of 73 percent – second only to the Class of 1952, with its 74.4 percent participation rate.
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Over 70 percent of the 55th reunion cluster contributed to Oberlin College. |
But perhaps the most unique gift came in the form of a challenge issued to the Classes of 2002, 2003, and 2004, which were celebrating their fifth cluster reunion. Nick (Nipun) Nanda ’03, who is currently employed at the investment management firm Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo, pledged to match each gift from this group with $50 of his own money – up to $20,000. As Nanda explains, he issued this peer-to-peer challenge to improve participation among young alumni and to encourage a “culture of giving” among his classmates.
“One of the things I’ve always found strange is that while we have a lot of school spirit, the Oberlin alumni giving rate is significantly lower than that of our peer institutions,” Nanda said via an e-mail exchange. “The purchase of the class gift at the upcoming reunion for the ’02, ’03, ’04 cluster seemed like a great opportunity to change that. I wanted to leverage the gift as much as possible, so I came up with a plan where I (along with my company), would chip in $50 for every contribution, no matter what the amount of the original gift. I thought this would encourage those students who feel they don’t have a lot of resources to contribute to the gift.”
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Kris Pranata '89 presents the 20th reunion's fundraising total. |
While such challenges are not unique in and of themselves, Nanda’s challenge is unique for two reasons. One, it is unusual for such a young alumnus to issue a peer-to-peer challenge. And two, it is relatively uncommon to gear such a challenge specifically toward improving alumni participation. But the challenge worked – Nanda’s cluster group raised a total of $134,431.88 for their reunion gift, with a 41 percent participation rate.
“As I enter my fifth year at Oberlin, I continue to be amazed at the incredible generosity of Oberlin College’s alumni/ae,” says Tip Hosack, director of the Oberlin Alumni Fund. “I have little doubt, though, that this philanthropy is directly related to the wonderful experiences offered through an Oberlin education.”
To learn more about the Oberlin Alumni Fund, please contact the Oberlin Alumni Fund at alumni.fund@oberlin.edu or 1-800-693-3167.
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