1. Office of Annual and Special Giving

The Office of Annual and Special Giving (ASG) coordinates ongoing solicitations for support in a fiscal year cycle on behalf of the University of Georgia, its schools, colleges, and other academic/service units. ASG defines annual giving annual giving as all current gifts attributable to annual solicitation efforts. Gifts are typically less than $10,000, repeatable in nature, and are not payments made on major pledge commitments. Pledges for annual support are fulfilled within the current fiscal year.

The Georgia Fund is the overarching annual giving program for the University of Georgia. Georgia Fund gifts may be designated for a specific fund or used for unrestricted campus-wide purposes. Georgia Fund solicitations are generally conducted through direct marketing (mail, phone, email, advertising, and special events) and through individual solicitation.

Solicitation Policies

In order to provide the most effective program with both personnel and operating resources, the following policies apply:

1. ASG will conduct phone campaigns on behalf of the schools, colleges, special units, and the University’s general needs. Priority and scheduling will be determined by ASG.

2. ASG will honor requests for use of the UGA Calling Center by any school, college, or unit when submitted and approved by ASG subject to guidelines and compatibility within the overall fund-raising plan.

3. Fund-raising phone campaigns, unless approved by ASG, will not be conducted elsewhere on campus or through outside private or volunteer contractors.

4. ASG will coordinate all direct marketing solicitations for the general support of UGA. Schools, colleges, and units should clear their direct marketing fund-raising solicitations through ASG to limit redundancy and confusion among prospects.

5. ASG staff is available to work in a consulting role with schools, colleges, and units participating in direct marketing solicitations. ASG will advise on aspects of solicitation including copy writing, script development, layout, design, paper, printing, timing, adherence to postal regulations, and other Arch standards.

6. Schools, colleges, and units should provide ASG with samples of all direct marketing solicitations and respective backup data including total number of prospects, appeal tracking code, cost per piece, and postage costs.

7. Upon request and when supplies are available, ASG may provide solicitation materials (pledge cards, return envelopes, gift processing forms, etc.) in limited quantities for school, college, and unit campaigns.

8. Schools, colleges, and units will direct all data requests for solicitations lists to the External Affairs Information Technology department.

9. ASG will evaluate all known direct marketing solicitations for effectiveness, efficiency and overall quality. Periodic status reports will be provided to the appropriate school, college, or unit along with a detailed year-end analysis for use in suggesting enhancements for future efforts.

10. ASG will charge all costs incurred on behalf of a school, college, or unit to those parties. Statements of these charges will be sent to the appropriate fund administrators.

11. ASG will determine and publish the known annual solicitation schedules and strategies for all constituencies.

Giving programs are established to feature levels of support. The Office of Annual & Special Giving actively solicits gifts for the tiered Annual Presidents Club, the University Partners program, the Parents & Families Association, and Senior Signature, the graduating class gift program. The Office of Donor Relations oversees the majority of the actual recognition and stewardship activities associated with these special gift opportunities. TOP

The Presidents Club

The Presidents Club recognizes donors supporting The Arch Foundation for the University of Georgia, Inc., at a specific annual dollar amount of $1,000 or more. The Presidents Club has a tiered structure recognizing Associate members donating $1,000 - 4,999 within the fiscal year’s campaign, Fellows, at $5000 – 9,999, and Benefactors, at $10,000 and above. University Partners (described below) are Presidents Club members whose gift designation warrants special attention. Founding members of the Presidents Club have a special lifetime distinction having joined in the first twenty years of the program. These individuals made a $10,000 total commitment and/or purchased a $25,000 life insurance policy naming Arch as the sole beneficiary. TOP

University Partners Program

An enhanced Presidents Club level, University Partners are individuals whose annual gifts to UGA total $2,500 or greater and support the President’s Venture Fund in total or in part. University Partners enjoy a unique flexibility in choosing how their gifts will benefit UGA. All Partners support the Venture Fund with a $1,000 minimum gift which helps meet unbudgeted funding challenges throughout the academic year. Donors may choose to designate the remainder of their gift to the academic area of their choice. (Athletic ticket priority programs are not included.) University of Georgia faculty and staff (current and retired) may join the Partners program at a reduced level of $1,500 in annual support with at least $500 designated to the President’s Venture Fund. Additional information on the program and Venture Fund distributions is available at http://www.alumni.uga.edu/gafund/Partners.html. TOP

Parents and Families Association

Having traditionally targeted parents of current students for unrestricted support to the University, a new structure created a programmatic approach to further engage these families in institutional advancement. Established in 2000 and administered by Student Affairs, the purpose of the Parents & Families Association is:

• To enhance communication between parents & families and UGA,

• To enrich the college experience for both parents & families and their students,

• To involve parents & families in campus and regional activities to promote UGA, and

• To support financially the Parents & Families Fund.

Parents are solicited for contributions to the Parents & Families Fund. The Parents & Families Council, the leadership entity for the Association, then distributes grants annually to organizations, departments, and projects. These grants are designed to enhance programs for undergraduate students.

Contributions to the Parents & Families Fund determine how much is available for grants each year. A complete list of the most recent grants is available at www.alumni.uga.edu/parents&families. TOP

Senior Signature

Senior Signature encourages graduating UGA students to initiate a tradition of supporting their alma mater. In recognition of their support, donors’ names appear on the graduating class plaques, permanently displayed on the Tate Student Center Plaza. TOP

Faculty and Staff Campaign

Members of the University community show their support for institutional needs and programs. Annually, faculty and staff are encouraged to invest in the University of Georgia. Gifts may be designated to any area of interest. TOP

Third Pillar- Consecutive Giving

Donors making gifts in multiple consecutive years are recognized as being part of The Third Pillar. Qualification for this loyalty group requires participating in the last three or more consecutive Georgia Fund campaigns.

The Third Pillar takes its name form the University’s official symbol, the Arch. The three pillars of the UGA Arch models those on the State of Georgia Seal representing the virtues of Wisdom, Justice and Moderation. It is the Third Pillar-Moderation-which is exhibited by those donors who consistently renew their belief in the University of Georgia through annual gifts. TOP