From an Advancement Office standpoint, the freshly concluded Building Our Future campaign could have been called Re-Building Our Future.
The campaign officially closed June 30 and was celebrated as great success at a donor reception in August. The capital campaign raised a total of $19,739,000, exceeding its goal of $18.5 million by more than $1.2 million.
In addition to donations earmarked for capital projects, St. Ambrose received gifts totaling an additional $5,069,000 toward the university's endowment and added 30 new endowed scholarships over the course of the campaign.
The university also received future documented estate commitments totaling $4,859,000 during the campaign. These will fund an additional 13 endowed scholarships in the future.
In sum, more than $29,667,000 was raised for scholarships, endowments, and the Wellness and Recreation Center, as well as improvements at the St. Vincent's Athletic Complex, since the silent phase of the campaign was launched in 2012.
As important was the growth and revitalization of the donor base.
"The philanthropic landscape had changed considerably since our last major capital campaign, which began back in 1999," said Vice President for Advancement Jim Stangle '82. "To ensure success, we knew we needed to reach out across the country to engage alumni, many of whom had never made a gift to the University, and ask them to make the biggest gift they could."
What they found was an eager and willing alumni base, and the birth of a new generation of donors.
"The number of new major donors to this campaign was impressive and speaks well for the future of the University," said Sally Crino '01, associate vice president for legacy giving and director of the Building Our Future campaign.
In fact, 60 percent of the campaign's major donors had never made a major gift to the university. "This represents much more than dollars received," said Crino. "It shows an evolution in their engagement and connection to St. Ambrose, which will keep the university healthy and strong for years to come."
The creation of new scholarship endowments will leave a mark on the university's future by extending a St. Ambrose education to generations of students who might have had to look elsewhere.
"Many of our donors felt strongly about the quality of their St. Ambrose education and wanted to be sure it was available to succeeding generations," said Crino. "Keeping a St. Ambrose education accessible is a big part of our future."
The Building Our Future campaign was supported by a network of 1,781 donors, with alumni contributing from 38 states. "This evolution from a small regional university to an institution with a national alumni base was an important and intentional outcome of this campaign," said Crino. "Ambrosians are doing exciting things all across this country, with real-world experiences that can inform our programs and students to help build the leaders of tomorrow."
Stangle's message to the alumni base is simple gratitude.
"The support this campaign has received on every level has been gratifying and inspiring," he said. "We asked you to step up, and you did."
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