CU Hosts “On the Phone Tour” in Support of Annual Fund

By Rebekah Skeens

On April 11, 2018

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Concord students will be participating in the “On the Phone Tour” several days during April. On the 11, 12, 16, and 17, students taking part in the phonathon will be calling several Concord College and University alumni asking for donations to support the Annual Fund. The phonathon will be taking place from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. each evening in the bottom floor of the University Point.

“The phonathon is a good opportunity for students to get familiar with the University. They will also be learning about the importance of Philanthropy and giving back as a whole,” stated Blake Farmer, Manager of the University Advancement Office.

Farmer also mentioned how students volunteering will gain real world experience which can carry them throughout the rest of their careers and lives. While this will positively impact all student volunteers, it might especially benefit those volunteers who are business or communication majors. They will gain developmental and marketing experience throughout the process. Lastly, this is an opportunity for students to add to their resume.

Student participants will be given a short training an hour before the phonathon begins every night. Students will only have to complete this once, but it gives an opportunity for volunteers to participate any of the four nights. During the training, students will be given information on what the event is for, and will learn about the importance of donations for the University Foundation.

As a reward to students, they will also be playing a bingo game throughout the night along with the calls. Cards might have things such as “visited the caller’s current town” written on them. Volunteers are also going to be given personalized t-shirts for participating. At the end of each night, prizes will be given to the student who made the most calls and received the most donations.

The phonathon, which helps raise money to go toward the annual fund, can be crucial for future and current students. This fund will support future university projects aimed to benefit students and will also help fund scholarships. With every donation received by alumni, that many more scholarships will be awarded to students.

Throughout the night, students will be targeting areas on the east coast where there are many alumni. Some areas on the list to be called are Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and the D.C. area. While this is where most calls will be sent, all alumni with up-to-date information will receive a call. Even if the previous Concord College and University students do not wish to donate, their information will be updated for future reference.

According to the Advancement Office, events like the phonathon have occurred at Concord before, but the most recent one was in 2016. Before that, many were held in the early 2000s in a similar set up as this spring 2018 event. This year’s event will be set up like a call center. The hope is that if all goes well, Concord will continue to give this volunteer experience to their students while also gaining donations that can be given back to Concord University students.

Athens community members or residents of the surrounding area will still be given an opportunity to donate to the fund, even if they were not a graduate of Concord. A website has been created so that everyone may have a chance to give back. As many calls will be made, several donations are expected to take place online. For anyone looking make a general donation, the information can be found at www.concord.edu/cufoundation/node/18.