NIU development staff member Jacob Waddle found something quite out of the ordinary while processing a recent batch of gifts to the university.
He found a note from a long-time donor explaining that there was “a little something extra” included in the envelope this year. That “something extra” was another “0” on the check, turning the donor’s annual gift of $1,000 to $10,000.
It’s that kind of generosity and spirit that’s moving True North, NIU’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, forward.
Having entered its final, public phase last May, the campaign is on target to reach its goal of $150 million by June 2010. Donors have committed $119 million to date, and momentum is building.
The final phase of the campaign is focused on increasing university endowment.
“It’s easy to see how much this campus has changed over the years,” says President John Peters. “But the heart and soul of NIU will never change. Everything we do is for our students. They are why we’re here, and building our endowment will help us support them.”
For a growing number of students every year, endowment is providing the difference between a good education and a life-transforming academic experience. For some students, that experience comes from an inspiring and supportive professor, for others it’s the opportunity to study abroad and, for some, an endowed scholarship is the only thing that makes an education a reality in the first place.
“Endowment provides the scholarships that bring students to NIU and keep them here, says Mallory M. Simpson, president of the NIU Foundation. “Thanks to donor generosity, we were able to make 940 scholarship awards during the fall of 2007 and spring of 2008.”
In addition to student scholarships, endowment funds support faculty, academic programs, athletics and the university libraries.
The commitment to NIU students has never been stronger. The foundation has received endowments to support students in the Huskie marching band, aspiring teachers and students in law, English, medieval studies, engineering and more.
Donors already have created 23 new endowment funds since the True North campaign kickoff last May.
“There are as many reasons for giving as there are people who give,” Simpson says. “We have donors who are honoring a mentor, a family member or other loved one by creating named funds. Our donors have many reasons, but they share one goal: to support our students as they pursue their dreams. Our endowment donors are making sure that support is here now and for generations to come.”