Telephone fundraising appeal raises record total

Fundraisers at the University of St Andrews have beaten the credit crunch and broken their own records by raising over a quarter of a million pounds in a recent telephone appeal.

The total amount pledged in St Andrews’ telephone fundraising campaign which took place throughout February and March 2009 was £252,500.

As well as being a 10% increase on last year, the total is the highest ever pledged since the University first began running telephone campaigns around twelve years ago.

Money raised from this campaign will support a number of projects including the new School of Medicine, the Wardlaw Scholarship Programme, the Family Book Fund and Postgraduate Scholarships for the School of Classics.

Helen Chapman, Development Officer, said, “We raised a total of just over £250,000 in just under five weeks which is the highest we’ve ever achieved.

“Given that we had been worried about how the current economic climate might affect things we are incredibly pleased with the outcome and would like to extend our sincere thanks to those who took the time to participate.”

A team of forty-five student callers worked in shifts to make over 2,700 calls. The students called graduates and parents of current students who have signed up to the Family Programme and 994 of those called pledged a gift.

The student callers were visited by Principal & Vice-Chancellor Dr Louise Richardson and the Dean of Medicine, Professor Hugh MacDougall, to demonstrate support for the campaign.

Phone-calls, which took place on Monday to Thursday evenings and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, included updates and information about alumni events and services.

Further information is available online:- www.st-andrews.ac.uk/alumni/GivingtoStAndrews/Fundraisingprojects/phonecampaignrecord/

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS: Helen Chapman is available for interview on Tel: 01334 462030 or Email: [email protected]

NOTE TO PICTURE EDITORS: IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE PRESS OFFICE – CONTACTS BELOW.

Issued by the Press Office, University of St Andrews
Contact Fiona Armstrong, Press Officer on 01334 462530 / 467227, Mobile: 07730 415 015 or Email: [email protected]
Ref: Telephone appeal 08/04/09
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