The Catawba College Development Office has earned a 2020 Educational Fundraising Award from the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
CASE is the global non-profit association dedicated to educational advancement —alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services — who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society.
Catawba will complete its second year of a five-year fund-raising effort called the MIND BODY SOUL Campaign for Growth in October. The CASE award recognizes the capital campaign, as well as fund-raising for Catawba's annual fund.
The MIND BODY SOUL campaign has raised 62 percent, or $21,551.390.90 of the $34,628,742 goal, plus an additional $15,157,363.90 for identified specific projects and additional scholarship money. The campaign is an effort to grow existing college programs and launch new, cutting-edge degrees, ensuring the growth of program offerings and student enrollment.
"We are two years into this campaign, and I am overwhelmed with the dedication and hard work of our Campaign Leadership and staff, as well as the generosity of our alumni and friends," said Meg Dees, Vice President of Development. "We are proving that in the best of times, or even in the worst of times, we are Catawba Strong."
Darlene Ball and Dan Bross, co-chairmen, said in a statement: "As alumni, it is our privilege to serve Catawba in this fund-raising effort, and we are grateful for the recognition, as well as the great work of Meg and her team. Our hard-working committees are reaching out to everyone to give what they can to make sure that Catawba continues to help others, as it helped us as undergraduates."
Dr. Ken Clapp, Interim President of Catawba, said, "It is tremendously rewarding to work with dedicated staff, alumni, and volunteers who are putting their own minds, bodies and souls into ensuring a safe, secure future for Catawba. This fund-raising effort is not only worthy of this award but also of all of our heart-felt thanks. We are so appreciative of this effort."
The $28 million MIND campaign has already renovated the Shuford Science Building, funded a College Success Coaches program, created the Greg and Missie Alcorn Makerspace and The Icebox (Innovate, Collaborate, Engage), an Honors Program endowment; expanded the Environment and Sustainability program, and created a mental health counseling program.
The $2.8 million BODY campaign has already funded artificial turf for Kirkland Field, the football and lacrosse field that will become a community multi-use field; a new video scoreboard for Shuford Stadium, an outdoor beach volleyball court, and lights for the Whitley Softball Field.
The $3.3 million SOUL campaign has already funded the renovation of the Omwake- Dearborn Chapel organ, the creation of an endowment for the chapel, and the endowment for the Discovery Program.
The CASE awards annually recognize exemplary development programs based on a blind review of data submitted. Winners are not selected based solely on total funds raised. A committee of experienced fundraisers reviews hundreds of pages of data from the survey, considering factors and variables including:
- Patterns of growth in total support
- Evaluation of what contributed to the total support figure
- Overall breadth of fundraising
- Patterns of growth in gifts from sources including alumni, other individuals, corporations, and foundations
- Impact of the 12 largest gifts on total support
- Giving to areas such as current operations, endowment, and property/buildings
- Amount raised per student
- Amount raised relative to expenditures
- Alumni participation
Paul Heaton, Senior Director/Member Engagement of CASE, said in the announcement to Catawba, "In receiving a CASE Educational Fundraising Award, you are not only demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism and best practice in fundraising, you and your colleagues also are contributing to the betterment of educational advancement worldwide by serving as a model to which others can aspire."
