Last academic year, more than 3,100 University of Iowa faculty and staff members made charitable donations to support the university; their contributions amounted to more than $7.6 million for UI programs, projects, and people.
“I give back because I know I’m an important link in the chain that will make the University of Iowa a better place now and in the future,” says Tom Scholz, one of this year’s We Are Phil campus co-chairs, along with Lan Samantha Chang, director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and Kathryn Howe, editor of the Iowa Alumni Magazine.
Many UI employees have given to the UI in response to the We Are Phil campaign, the University of Iowa Foundation’s faculty and staff annual giving program initiated in the fall of 2013. The program joined the foundation’s existing lineup of campus philanthropy programs, which affectionately refer to philanthropy as “Phil.” The UI Foundation hosts Phil’s Day each spring to highlight the impact of philanthropy throughout the UI campus. It has also established a student philanthropy group, a development internship program, and a growing slate of initiatives dedicated to increasing students’ understanding of the importance of philanthropy.
We Are Phil will hold its annual appeal to UI employees Oct. 10–14 on the UI campus. More than 100 faculty and staff volunteers will host events and activities within their colleges or departments to raise awareness about philanthropy, encourage colleagues to make their own gifts, and build a sense of community.
Kimberly Merchant, a researcher in the College of Public Health who has been one of the college’s We Are Phil volunteer co-chairs since the program’s inception, says, “Planning for We Are Phil week and working with faculty and staff in my college is fun and rewarding. I like the ideas and excitement we try to bring to the initiative—and to the college—during the campaign. I know that our efforts and our gifts promote good causes here and elsewhere on campus.”
Lynette Marshall, president and CEO of the UI Foundation, says, “Faculty and staff are important partners in our fundraising efforts. It is their work that inspires our donors and their initiatives that we strive to support. When faculty and staff are also donors, it underscores just how dedicated they are to the university’s missions of teaching, research, and service.
“We are delighted to see how many faculty and staff have embraced the We Are Phil program. We now have 1,000 more UI employees making annual donations—to support whatever they love most about the UI—than we did when We Are Phil first began,” Marshall says.
Howe says she gives because she’s grateful.
“I am grateful that my children have been healthy so far, and if anything should go awry with their health, I can access first-rate medical care just a few short miles from my front door. I know not everyone is so fortunate. I give to support University of Iowa Children’s Hospital and other pediatric research efforts because I know my colleagues there are changing kids’ lives and helping families like mine every single day.”
Capping the annual weeklong campaign to promote faculty and staff giving, the foundation will present its second annual fall “Life With Phil” lecture on Oct. 20. The lecture, which focuses on philanthropy and is presented in partnership with the University Lecture Committee, will feature Ted Waitt, founder and chairman of the Waitt Foundation. At 22, Waitt co-founded Gateway 2000 Inc., where he helped revolutionize the direct marketing of personal computers; he became a Fortune 500 CEO and a member of the Forbes 400 by the time he was 30. Since his retirement from Gateway in 2004, Waitt has gone on to form multiple business and philanthropic enterprises. He will deliver a lecture about “breakthrough philanthropy.”
UI employees can learn more about We Are Phil, find a fund to support, view video messages from their colleagues and peers, make their own annual gifts, and tell their giving stories at uifoundation.org/facultystaff.
About the University of Iowa Foundation
The University of Iowa Foundation’s mission is to advance the UI and fulfill the aspirations of those it serves. The university’s dedicated contributors fund a broad array of needs, from student scholarships, breakthrough research, and life-changing health care to innovative facilities, community outreach, and global education.
The UI Foundation is the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the University of Iowa. For more information about the foundation and the campaign, visit the foundation website at uifoundation.org.