Service funds, giving suffer losses

Author: Tom Brant

Opening your wallet when someone asks you for money to eradicate cancer may seem like a no-brainer, even if you end up giving only a few dollars. But donor participation in Relay for Life, a fast-growing Middlebury tradition that benefits the American Cancer Society, is markedly down this year as compared to previous years. So is participation in the senior class gift, another tradition that has funded everything from the purchase of an outdoor clock next to McCullough Hall to the restoration of the beaux-arts reading room in Starr Library.

By the beginning of April last year, teams participating in Relay for Life had already raised $49,163. This year, the total so far is just $33,503. Such sums are still impressive amounts, and last year's Relay was the first in per capita donations among all youth-organized teams nationwide. But such a decline in donations begs the question: why are people less keen to open their wallets this year? The global economic recession may seem like an easy culprit.

"It's pretty clear from the donor numbers that a lot of people are finding it more difficult to give this year," said Ruthie Reinken '10, who is co-chairing the Relay for Life committee at Middlebury. "It's really hard to ask people for money right now."

But the sluggish economy is not the only reason for poor participation. Of the 14 Relays for Life in Vermont, only two are lagging behind last year in terms of funds raised. Likewise, 70 to 80 percent of seniors at other comparable schools have already donated to their class gift, while at Middlebury the participation rate is only 47 percent.

Clearly, there is more to blame than just the economy. One reason that Middlebury's Relay participation is down, according to Reinken, may be that many teams are made up of the same groups of people year after year, who send e-mails and make telephone calls to the same potential donors. For example, one of the teams that brought in a lot of cash last year, called the Ova Chicks, is composed primarily of women from the town of Middlebury who have been participating since the Relay began in 2004. Some team members have connections to the College, like Carolann Davis, who works at the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs. Others do not.

"The Ova Chicks have been one of our best groups," said Reinken. "They always have a great campsite and they always dress up" during the all-night relay.

But this year, according to Reinken, the team almost decided not to participate, partly because they were concerned about not being able to match last year's success. Ultimately, they decided to throw their hats in the ring, and so far have been doing well, having raised $4,325 of their $5,000 goal so far.

Though donors may be tired of giving to Relay for Life year after year, the organizers of the senior class gift cannot cite that excuse. Graduating from Middlebury, at least for most people, only happens once. So the main reason for the difficulty in getting seniors to participate may just be laziness, said Gift Committee Co-Chair Geoff Edwards '09.

"A lot of people will put you off and say, 'Oh, I can't give right now,'" Edwards said. "But we haven't run into anyone who says that they cannot afford to donate."

This year, the senior class is hoping to raise about $100,000 to cover the costs of renovating the woodstove lounge in Proctor Dining Hall, a favorite place to catch up with friends over coffee or lunch.

"I'm not a Proctor person myself, but the woodstove lounge has played a big part in a lot of students' college experiences," Edwards said.

Fortunately for the senior class, an anonymous donor has agreed to give $100 for every senior that donates any amount, even if it's only a few dollars. Edwards said he is confident that the Class of 2009 can reach their goal, if only because the highest number of donations in previous years has come during senior week. The fact that Middlebury seniors are behind their peers at other schools in fundraising, combined with the resources of an anonymous donor wealthy enough to be insulated from unfavorable economic conditions, should prompt the seniors to meet their goal, according to Edwards.

"If we can use incentives like this to keep encouraging people to give, it will really help us keep our heads above water until all of this passes," Edwards said.

Even though both Edwards and Reinken have run into problems that are unique to Middlebury in trying to solicit donations, no one is denying that the sluggish economy is not having an effect as well. Some of the biggest Relay donors are local companies and organizations, and many have scaled back out of budget concerns. American Flatbread, for example, used to donate all of the food for participants during the relay. This year, according to Reinken, the food will not be free, and that means she will have to dip into some of the donations in order to cover the cost.

"We try and cut costs as much as we can because our costs come out of the fundraising totals," Reinken said.

Ultimately, Reinken views the challenges she faces as obstacles that must be overcome.

"It's hard to ask the same people year after year to donate, and I think it's especially hard to ask people for money right now," she said. "But cancer never goes away."