Illinois State University's largest-ever fundraising campaign surpassed its target by $30 million.
Vice President of University Advancement Pat Vickerman said he never imaged "Redbirds Rising" would reach $180 million.
“Did we anticipate going by (the goal) to the tune of $30 million? No, not at all,” Vickerman acknowledged. “That’s really a credit to your alumni and friends who stepped up in a big, big way.”
The campaign reached the $150 million goal last year and set a June 30, 2020 end date. ISU took the campaign public in 2017.
A bulk of the money goes to support academic programs ($78 million) and students ($70 million). Additional funding goes to facilities ($19 million) and faculty ($13 million).
The university said the campaign included 56,143 contributors.
"When Redbirds Rising began, we knew our goal was ambitious," ISU President Larry Dietz said in a news release. "Over the course of the campaign, thousands of alumni and friends stepped up to the challenge, surpassing our target and making Redbirds Rising the university's most successful fundraising campaign to date. I'm humbled by our shared success and grateful for the vote of confidence cast in the Illinois State experience."
COVID-19 Impacts
Vickerman said the coronavirus pandemic didn't seem to hurt the campaign, noting the university raised $6 million in the last three months.
“It was really inspiring to see our alumni and friends step forward,” Vickerman said. “It wasn’t a matter of everyone is going to step back and reassess. I think people did that, but quickly started to value the role of education and the ISU experience in particular.”
Vickerman said alumni engagement remains high, even though in-person events have stopped because of COVID-19.
He said the university has had to rely much more on technology to maintain virtual connections with donors.
“It’s really given us another arrow in our quiver to connect with our alums,” Vickerman said, though he added nothing can replace in-person visits with alumni.
Despite the financial uncertainty the pandemic has caused, Vickerman said the $180 million raised hasn’t lost its purchasing power. He noted much of the money will be placed in endowments to serve as long-term investments for the university.
“There’s also an excitement that comes with a successful campaign like Redbirds Rising in that people want to be a part of a winning organization and institutions that are on the move and Illinois State is certainly one of those institutions right now,” Vickerman said.
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