The Tufts Student Fund (TSF) will kick off its annual spring campaign on March 27 with Tuition Runs Out Day and will run for four weeks until late April.
According to Assistant Director of Volunteer Management Alexandra Hyde, Tuition Runs Out Day marks when a student's Tufts education is no longer supported by tuition alone, and private support from donors pays for student life through May.
"This year we will be increasing the visibility of the Student Fund on campus and focus on engaging students in a conversation about philanthropy," Hyde told the Daily in an email. "Tuition Runs Out Day will be a much larger kick-off to the campaign than it was in previous years. There will be a strong marketing component, and we are hoping to engage students via various social media channels throughout the day and the next four weeks of the campaign."
Hyde said that the TSF was formed in 2009 after switching from a Senior Class Gift campaign to an organization that incorporates all undergraduate classes and where all contributions support financial aid.
"The strategy behind this change was that we really wanted to engage all class years as a way of both increasing participation and educating students early on about the importance of philanthropy and giving back," Hyde said.
TSF secretary Jason Brillon said that they will continue to work on being seen around campus frequently for the remainder of the academic year.
"This year we are working on having a lot more tabling," Brillon, a sophomore, told the Daily in an email. "Jumbos will find us weekly in the campus center. We are trying to increase our overall presence on campus, especially during Senior Week."
Hyde said that TSF will have a presence at annual events hosted by Alumni Relations, such as the Half-Way There reception for sophomores on April 17.
"One major addition [to the spring campaign] this year is an end-of-campaign reception for student donors and their honorees," Hyde said. "We are really encouraging students to make a gift in honor of someone on campus who has had some kind of impact on their [lives], whether that be a coach, faculty member, or a cook in one of the dining halls. This reception will take place on Tuftonia's Day and will celebrate both students who supported the Student Fund campaign as well as those folks on campus who have had a meaningful impact on students."
While Hyde said that TSF's financial goal this year is $4,000, she noted that the TSF emphasizes student participation. Their aim this year is to raise the student participation rate higher than last year, which had the highest participation rate so far.
"The Student Fund focuses more on participation than dollars raised," Hyde said. "Last year we achieved 27 percent participation from the undergraduate student body, which is the highest it's ever been. This year we are aiming for 35 percent participation, which is approximately 1,800 donors."
According to Hyde, the Alumni Thank-a-Thon in February was the first Student Fund event of the spring, during which students stopped by the table in the Mayer Campus Center and wrote thank you notes to young alumni donors and signed a thank you banner. Brillon said it is important to come in to the Thank-a-Thon with ambitious goals.
"We aim high, always attempting to beat our records from last year and ensure a substantial percentage of the student body demonstrates their support for alumni donations to Tufts," Brillon said.
Hyde said the TSF already has plans for what they would like their calendar to look like during the 2014-2015 academic year.
"Moving forward, we'd like to start the campaign even earlier in the academic year," Hyde said. "The Alumni Thank-a-Thon will likely take place in November this year instead of February, and that provides flexibility if we want to officially kick-off the campaign earlier in the year."
Hyde said that Tufts alumni have been active in helping to match gifts and provide contributions for financial aid.
"Last year, we had a financial aid challenge where two very generous Tufts alumni pledged to match gifts by various amounts for the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering," Hyde said. "This year we will have a similar challenge, and all gifts to the Student Fund will have an even greater impact due to the match."
Brillon agreed that the generosity of donors is helping to fuel plans for the spring campaign.
"The [TSF] is grateful for all those who donated in years past, and we members are excited to see such donations continue this year," he said.
