Students Make an Impact with Class Gifts

Every year, Carlson students show their school spirit by contributing to their respective class gift campaign. These campaigns give graduating students an opportunity to give back and leave a legacy at the school.
 

Undergraduate

The 2018 Undergraduate Class Gift Campaign raised $3,907 from 133 donors, which made up 19 percent of the class, as well as an additional $5,871 from faculty, staff, and alumni matching dollars. In addition, four donors established monthly gift plans and one donor made an Investors Circle-level gift.

“We really wanted to go about this campaign from a community perspective,” says Jacob Stalsberg, ’18 BSB and chair of the Senior Class Gift Committee. “The goal was to bring the Carlson senior community together, and through that, raise money to leave our legacy on the Carlson School.”

The funds raised will go toward the Dean’s Excellence Fund, which helps support undergraduate students at the Carlson School. “We’re excited to see the money we raised be put toward scholarships, as we know that is one of the biggest needs at the University,” says Stalsberg. “And as students, we wanted to make sure our money went toward supporting future students, in order for them to have the same opportunities that we had.”
 

Full-Time MBA

For the Full-Time MBA class of 2018, $15,225 was raised from 58 donors, representing 57 percent of the class. There was also an additional $2,550 raised from staff and alumni. Sixteen of the 58 donors established monthly gift plans and 10 made an Investors Circle commitment.

As vice president of external relations for the MBA Association, Ashley Ver Burg Soukup, ’18 MBA, was responsible for leading the class gift campaign. “As someone who has benefited from the generosity of donors to the Carlson School, I was passionate about shaping the culture around our class campaign to pay it forward and give back,” she says.

The raised funds will be used to establish a new MBA student scholarship. The committee also has a five-year vision to endow the fund.

Ver Burg Soukup says she was especially inspired by one of her classmates who gave $5,000 to the class gift. “When I heard the news, I was blown away by the generosity shown by a graduating student,” she says. “When you know and feel all the reasons why it’s so important to give back, to see someone else make such an inspiring leadership gift, it’s truly moving.”
 

MA-HRIR

The 2018 MA-HRIR Class Gift Campaign raised $1,000 from 23 donors, which was 27 percent of the class, plus an additional $600 from members of the MA-HRIR Alumni Board.

To help raise the funds, volunteer Angela Gao, ’18 MA-HRIR, worked with a gift committee. “I made flyers and we held two pizza parties to create awareness of the campaign,” she says.

The funds will be used for MA-HRIR General Fellowships, which support future MA-HRIR students. “Most people in the cohort are under the pressure of job searching and relocating, but still we received gifts from a lot of them,” Gao says. “Giving back financially is one of the most important ways to support the program.”