Telethon student callers spring into action

The College’s spring telethon has reached its official halfway point, and is already making excellent progress.

The telethon will run for a further four weeks, and during that time, current Imperial students will contact hundreds more Imperial alumni to update them on developments at the College, share memories and experiences, and to ask them to consider making a donation to the Annual Fund.

 
So far, the team has raised just over £22,000 from 130 donors, an extremely encouraging start given the current economic situation. These donations are eligible for inclusion in the Matched Funding scheme for Higher Education, meaning that each donation to the Annual Fund will be matched by the UK government at a ratio of 3:1 (private to public funding). With many previous donors to the Annual Fund still to be contacted, the spring telethon is off to a flying start.

"I've worked in research labs, and have seen the benefits that a grant such as the Junior Research Fellowship can give to a young researcher at the outset of their career," commented student caller Fathima Razik. "I think it's really important to let alumni know that their donations go to help current and future students, not just to "Imperial College", and that the donation will help maintain the integrity of the institution that helped them get where they are today."

"It's very encouraging to see the student callers at work, talking to alumni and promoting the work of the Annual Fund," commented Heather Campbell, Senior Executive for Individual Giving in the Office of Alumni and Development. "They really appreciate how worthwhile the projects within the Annual Fund are, and the special connection they have with alumni through shared experiences of the College means that a call can be a hugely positive experience for both student and alumnus."

"Despite the difficult economic climate, we've been really encouraged by the positive reactions of alumni to calls. Hopefully, they realise that the size of the donation is not important. If every alumnus gave a small amount, the sheer size of the alumni base, as well as additional contributions such as Gift Aid and matched funding, means that the impact on the Annual Fund would be huge."

The College would like to thank all of our generous donors for the gifts received so far, particularly considering the challenging state of the economic climate. Your support helps to make the work of the Annual Fund possible. If you would like to find out more information about Imperial's 2009 spring telethon campaign, please contact Heather Campbell at h.campbell@imperial.ac.uk.