In 2003, a Steering Committee was recruited to conduct a campaign for the funds needed to complete the renovation (list of committee members and volunteers).  The initial challenge for “Many Hands, One Heart:  The Campaign to Restore Miami’s Alpha Delta Phi” was to jump start fundraising progress in order to catalyze broader alumni giving.  The committee pursued a major gifts approach in which alumni with the greatest affinity and potential to give were approached first, in person, and asked for specific major gifts.  Early key commitments, including $45,000 and $28,000 pledges from Don French ’53 and Bob Delves ’80 respectively, established the Campaign’s credibility and made it much easier to solicit other alumni for gifts in the tens of thousands of dollars.  Plaques were placed on various rooms to recognize the 35 major donors who gave in excess of $5000 (chapter floor plan showing plaqued rooms).

 

The Campaign was able to offer at least limited tax deductibility for major contributions, via an agreement with the International’s Fraternity’s Samuel Eells Literary and Educational Foundation.  The Foundation judged that $100,000 of the planned renovation could be considered as applicable to the chapter’s educational mission, which allowed SELEF to grant tax deductibility up to that amount.

 

In total, alumni pledged total outright contributions of $613,106, of which $25,739 are pledges yet to be collected.  The complete list of Campaign donors includes 287 names (list of donors by gift level).  The five classes contributing the most to the campaign were the Classes of 1980, 1971, 1953, 1972 and 1982 (click here for each class year’s total giving and here for a bar chart depicting the same information).  An additional $65,000 was provided by nine alumni in the form of secured notes which must be repaid, some with interest.  This total amount was invested over 2003-2009 to support renovations, undergraduate operations and expenses for alumni programming.

 

Especially dedicated fundraisers included a list of alumni volunteers, of whom undertook personal solicitations to their classmates, participated in challenge gifts to encourage others to step up and give, or otherwise took actions instrumental to the success of the Campaign.


Back to Restoration Campaign home

Chapter house renovation article

 

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