Willing to sing for a pledge, students raise $64K from alumni

Alumni enjoy talking to the callers, and at least once a year challenge a student to sing the alma mater.

The fall Phonathon, conducted by the University Advancement division and coordinated by Director of Development Timothy Murphy, brought in over $64,000 in pledges from SUNY Fredonia alumni to support the efforts of the Fredonia College Foundation in providing scholarship and program support to the university.

“Considering the current economic conditions, I am pleased with the outcome of this semester’s Phonathon. Our student callers are great ambassadors for Fredonia,” stated Mr. Murphy.

Student callers had a pool of over 10,000 prospects, and made a total of 37,424 calls in 700 hours worth of calling. They were honored recently at an awards ceremony for their efforts by student Phonathon manager Kellie Fox and assistant Courtney Blackmon. Student workers included Casey Beuler, Keydra Manns, Zyris McCormick, Stephanie Patterson, Amanda Scafetta, Allison Terrana, Pete Viglietta, Shea Calleri, Andrew Condon, Cassie Harm, Jenell Dilcher, Heidi Frame, Cory Greiner, Johanna Kern, Brittany Kerr, Chris Hillman and Kristen Davidson.

Ms. Manns of West Seneca was recognized as the top caller of the fall Phonathon with $7,695 in pledges.

The 1,510 in pledges was up 8 percent from 2007, with the average pledge of $43. Alumni enjoy talking to the callers, and at least once a year challenge a student to sing SUNY Fredonia’s alma mater prior to receiving a pledge commitment – the students are trained to expect these types of requests and are prepared to play, or in this case, sing, along. Often during the calls, alumni ask about favorite professors and ask the students what they are studying.

Vice President for University Advancement David Tiffany was on hand during the recognition event to give “thanks for a good effort in a challenging time.”

The Phonathon will resume during the spring semester for five weeks, contacting parents and additional alumni.