Matched funding scheme boosts Leeds University's annual fund appeal
Howard Lake | 19 January 2009 | News
By mentioning the new Government Matched Funding Scheme for Higher Education in its Annual Fund communications to alumni, the University of Leeds has achieved record results for its appeal.
The University’s Alumni Annual Fund aims to raise £1.5 million from alumni by 2011 in order to unlock a further £500,000 via the Matched Funding scheme.
As a result, all Annual Fund communications explain the Matched Funding scheme and show donors exactly what this additional income could achieve across the five priority areas supported by the Fund.
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The Matched Funding Scheme for Higher Education aims to increase voluntary giving to higher education (HE) providers. All higher education institutions (HEIs) and directly funded further education colleges (FECs) in England have been invited to participate in the scheme. Eligible gifts to participating institutions will be matched through a fund of £200 million.
The University’s most recent telephone appeal to its alumni, the first since the Matched Funding scheme was launched, has been one of its most successful ever. Leeds graduates pledged gifts totalling £145,000 in just six and a half weeks, more than double the total pledged in Autumn 2007. In addition, the number of alumni pledging gifts to the University rose by two thirds compared to the same time last year.
Adrian Salmon, Annual Fund Manager at the University of Leeds, said, "This is a tremendously encouraging response from our graduates – particularly considering the current economic climate.
"The Matched Funding scheme is proving very effective in encouraging donations over the telephone – and the scheme features in every conversation."
The University plans to run two further telephone appeals to alumni in its current financial year ending July 2009.
www.alumni.leeds.ac.uk/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=183&srcid=-2
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.