Giving and Engagement Start Strong in Fiscal Year 2024-25

The College is grateful to alumnae, friends, faculty, and staff for their continued support of Meredith College in the first half of the fiscal year. Gifts and various efforts by volunteers show their support for Meredith students and the entire campus community.

From July 1 to mid-December, the total raised for major ($25,000 or more) annual and planned gifts is $9.8 million. These gifts support scholarships, improved facilities, campus beautification, and more, and each enhances the student experience at Meredith.

“Our donors again and again show us how much the students of Meredith College mean to them,” said Lennie Barton, vice president for institutional advancement. “We are pleased that donors give to their passion, and in turn, students benefit from their philanthropy. All gifts, no matter the size, strengthen the College, and we are appreciative.”

The Meredith Fund, our annual giving program, has raised $781,931 so far this fiscal year. 

• The alumnae fall appeal letter raised $30,630, a 21% increase from the same time last year.
• The Parents and Families Project has raised $7,905 to date, a 65% increase from the same time last year. For the second year, the project is supporting campus security upgrades with a goal of $30,000 by June 30.
• Angels Connect, Meredith’s student callers, have raised $15,970 from alumnae donors and they completed three weeks of thank-you calls and care calls to the five states affected by the hurricanes. In total, 957 thank-you calls, 951 thank-you videos, and 124 written thank-you notes were completed by the student staff.

Alumnae Association Events and New Student Program 

The Office of Alumnae Relations coordinated six welcome events for President Aimee Sapp in the following cities: Raleigh, Pinehurst, Charlotte, Wilmington, New York City, and Winston-Salem. These events allowed alumnae and friends to meet President Sapp and hear an update from the College. 

Throughout the fall semester, the office hosted several on-campus events to engage and support current students. From August to December, the office coordinated 18 student events. The office continues to host events such as the Halloween Pop-Up Event, during which students could enjoy hot chocolate, create a craft, and receive a giveaway item, and the First Day of Class Kick-Off event, which included poems from The Poetry Fox. The Ask an Alumna series features a panel of alumnae experts and topics have included: Health and Wellness, Time Management and Organization, Financial Literacy, and Resumes and Interviews. The office hosts two sessions per semester, and the series concludes at the end of the academic year with a networking event. In December, the Alumnae Association launched Onyx Connections, which is a more informal gathering. Facilitated and staffed solely by alumnae volunteers, Onyx Connections allows alumnae to return to campus to offer students baked goods, flowers, pets to a pup, a listening ear, and much more. 

Alumnae Relations is also partnering with the Office of Admissions on a new student referral program. In addition to the new referral program, they will once again host welcome events for admitted and deposited students. These events, hosted by area alumnae across the state, will be held before the May 1 decision deadline. The Office of Alumnae Relations is continuing to identify other methods to encourage alumnae to support recruitment efforts. 

Thank you to all who have supported Meredith College and continue to show our campus community that the education our students receive is important.