President and Mrs. Ross have challenged the Class of 2010 to reach 85% paid participation prior to Graduation Day. If, as a class, you meet this goal, President and Mrs. Ross will match all dollars raised up to $10,000, and for every 5% of participation attained over 85%, they will give an additional $1,000.  You not only have the opportunity to have the highest percentage for participation in a Senior Class Gift, but you can also reach the highest dollar amount too!

The challenge is before you!

• The Senior Class Gift is a donation to the Annual Fund.  Each gift, no matter the size, counts! Each year the Senior Class comes together to show their collective appreciation for their time at Davidson.  The Class of 2009 reached 98% participation, an outstanding display of class unity.
• Rather than restricting the money raised by the Senior Class to the donation of a single tangible object, gifts to the Annual Fund supplement all areas of campus life.
• Gifts may be made in honor of a person who has touched your life at Davidson, such as a professor, staff member, coach, or classmate.
• Make your Senior Class Gift now! 

What is the Annual Fund?

• The Annual Fund is a source of UNRESTRICTED dollars for Davidson.  Gifts to the Annual Fund come from alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and foundations to provide approximately 10% of the overall operating budget.
• Gifts to the Annual Fund can be designated to one or more of the following areas:
  • The Davidson Trust - helps replace loans with grants in financial aid packages
  • Living Endowment - provides relief for the college’s operating budget
  • Davidson Athletic Foundation -  maintains Davidson’s 21 varsity sports
  •  WDAV - funds Davidson’s classical radio station
• Last year the Annual Fund raised $8,069,356 and reached 60.1% participation.

Why  is Giving to Davidson Important?

• Individuals who give to Davidson understand how influential donors to the college are to a student’s experience.
• Tuition only covers a portion of the cost of a Davidson education, and a gift to the Annual Fund helps cover the rest of this cost.
• Alumni giving to the Annual Fund is considered a measure of “customer satisfaction” and is taken into account by foundations and corporations who give grants and loans to Davidson. Higher percentages mean more alumni believe that the experience they had should be made available to future students.
• By contributing to Davidson now, you are starting a personal commitment and are joining the ranks of thousands of other Davidson alumni, parents, and friends who help make it the wonderful place that it is.
• Classes who had Senior Class Gifts to the Annual Fund give back more consistently and are more engaged than the classes who gave tangible gifts (the late '80s and '90s).

How Do I Make My Gift?

• Senior Salute:  Stop by the Annual Fund table at Senior Salute to make your pledge or gift in person!
• Online: You can make a donation with a credit card online at www.davidson.edu/giving.
• Snail Mail: Send check or cash with your name to the Annual Fund, Box 7170
• Give your gift to a Senior Class Gift representative or contact one of the Senior Class Gift Co-Chairs, Linnea Buttermore (libuttermore@davidson.edu) or John Edwards (joedwards@davidson.edu).

Your Annual Fund Staff Contacts:

Natalie Bombard '05
Associate Director
704-894-2717

Maddie Stough '08
Fundraising Fellow
704-894-2464

The Annual Fund
Box 7170
Davidson, NC 28035-7170
704-894-2680