UI Foundation/UI Advancement Weekly Update 09.17.21

Dear Team:

The Foundation’s Annual Meeting in two weeks again will be presented virtually through a digital format. That means I (and several others) got the pleasure of standing in front of a video camera to tell the story of the Foundation’s last year. As I prepared for my shoot and read over the script, I found myself smiling and feeling more than a little excited. It wasn’t the opportunity to shoot the video that excited me, it was the opportunity to talk about the great work you all did this past year and how your efforts contributed to what turned out to be an amazing year.

With so many distractions and disruptions, we sometimes may not realize all that is getting done and what we have achieved. It’s a lot! For the second year in a row, we topped $400 million in new business and cash; two of our three campuses achieved their campaign goals ahead of schedule, we received several multi-million-dollar gifts, more scholarships were funded; research expanded, and new facilities opened, while others began construction. I invite you to put a note on your calendar to view the Annual Meeting video to learn even more. We will forward the link when the video is published on Friday, October 1.

Earlier this week, Christy and I had a virtual coffee with some new (and not so new) members of our UIF team.  During that discussion, I mentioned how much everyone in our development program enterprise is important to our collective success. It took the effort of our entire advancement team to achieve everything we did, made even more impressive by the fact we did most of our work virtually. You embraced collaboration, one of the Development Program core values, and didn’t let physical distance deter you from achieving your goals.  Bravo!  As we continue through the pandemic, the need to break out of silos and collaborate with each other, campus partners, and donors will become even greater, so keep up the good work and thank you in advance.

The calendar says we are nearing the official start of fall, but it appears summer isn’t leaving anytime soon. So, leave those sweaters packed away a while longer, enjoy your shorts, and have a great weekend.

Cheers,

Jim