The 2011 Faculty and Staff Campaign raised $69,728 and increased from a 43 percent employee participation rate to 55 percent in funding for the Loyola Fund.

According to the Office of Student Affairs, the Loyola Fund contributes 55 percent of all donations to student aid, services and instructional support from alumni, staff and outside source financial contribution.

For the Faculty and Staff Campaign, the Offices of Student Affairs and Institutional Advancement had a participation rate of 100 percent and the College of Business had a 98 percent participation rate, said the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J.

“The faculty and staff stepped up this year to get us that percentage,” said Marcel McGee, the director of annual giving. “It shows that people here believe enough to give back to the institution and it is our way of building cultural philanthropy from the inside out.”

The campaign serves not just to raise money for the university but also to express internal university support and commitment to alumni and others, said Bill Bishop, vice president of Institutional Advancement.

“Foundations, an alumni or even an individual that wants to give to the institution may ask what the staff does and how they participate philanthropically,” Bishop said. “We are asking folks that work here to take that additional step and make a contribution beyond the work they do here.”

Alumni willingness to donate is based off their relationship with the university as graduating seniors, which is a reason the staff and faculty campaign is held, according to Bishop. The campaign shows the students that the university is engaged with them currently, he said.

“External institutions measure the reputation of a university by how the alumni participate in that institution,” Bishop said. “We reach out to our alumni through surveys asking what they want and we look at their responses. Also, we reach out with job training, resume development and mentorship. It cannot always just be about alumni giving. We are there to understand what their needs are and to show a life-long engagement.”

Newsletters sent out once a month about what students are doing on campus, faculty visits with alumni, calls for community service participation and general contact connects alumni to supporting the mission of the university, which is educating students, said Monique Gardner, director of Alumni Relations.

“When most people think of philanthropy, they think of major donors, but we understand not everybody can write a six-figure check,” McGee said. “It is not about the size of the check you give, but about the participation. If we could get about 40,000 alumni to write a check for 10-20 bucks, we are doing something. Just enough people can continue to help that professor that inspired them or that university president to celebrate the 100 years we are going on here.”

Kamaria Monmouth can be reached at [email protected]