Five months into the public launch of the College’s $3 billion Call to Lead capital campaign, Dartmouth is witnessing fundraising progress that has set a new record in its campaign fundraising history.
According to a press release by the College’s Office of Communications, the campaign has hit a record-setting point in its philanthropic giving. The donations that Dartmouth has received in the 2018 fiscal year surpassed those received in the 2017 and 2016 fiscal year, by nearly 1.5 and 1.3 times greater respectively.
Only four years into the campaign, the College has already surpassed the midpoint of its $3 billion goal with $1.78 billion raised so far, which is believed to be “ahead of where Brown [University] was at the midst of [its $3 billion] campaign,” according to executive director of communications at Dartmouth College Advancement Jonathan Goldstein. Started in 2013 and officially launched in 2015, Brown’s BrownTogether campaign took five years to reach its midpoint.
“[The Call to Lead campaign] is by far the boldest and most ambitious campaign we have had in our history,” Board of Trustees chair Laurel Richie ’81 said. “It is a very comprehensive campaign, both in the dollar amount and more importantly, the academic, financial aids and objectives that are within the Campaign.”
Dartmouth’s graduate schools have also experienced record-setting donations. According to senior director of marketing and communications at the Tuck School of Business Edward Winchester, the Tuck capital campaign has raised $142.8 million out of its $250 million goal, which is more than the total amount raised in Tuck’s previous campaigns overall.
Richie said that the Campaign’s driving force is enthusiastic support from alumni.
“Our alums are very, very excited about the initiatives that are laid out,” Richie said.
Richie said that she believes the alumni’s “love for and appreciation of their duration at Dartmouth” is what has prompted the community to be so active in the campaign. According to Richie, one fundraising strategy that has been effective in the campaign so far is the alumni outreach and engagement conducted by the College’s advancement team.
“One of the things that we’ve been doing for the past couple of years is going out and meeting with alumni all around the country and sharing the [goals of the campaign], getting their input, getting their feedback,” Richie said.
She noted that College President Phil Hanlon, the Dean of the College and the Campaign Planning Committee also participated in engagement efforts for the Campaign.
The renovation of the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge — the “home to the First-Year Trips,” according to Goldstein — was completed last year with funding from the campaign. Other projects will soon actualize on campus, including the reopening of the Hood Museum of Art in January 2019, Goldstein said.
According to dean of the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies F. Jon Kull, the majority of campaign funds for the Guarini School will go toward supporting graduate student fellowships. He said that the Guarini School also plans to use its funds to support dining bonuses for students, eliminate application fees, ensure the recruitment of a strong and diverse pool of students and provide professional development to students interested in academia and entrepreneurship. Kull said that some of the new fellowships will be launched next year, even as the Guarini School continues to receive donations from the campaign. All of the fellowships will be launched within the next five years, he added.
A new residential facility is the latest campaign-funded project to launch after the Board of Trustees recently approved a plan to develop a schematic design for a new 350-bed dormitory. Additional projects, such as the renovation of Dartmouth Hall and the construction on the west end of campus, are still in their fundraising stages.
Correction appended (Sept. 28, 2018): This article has been updated to correctly reflect Edward Winchester's title.
