I The Blue Banner I 3.16.2011
News
Campus callers ask alumni, parents to give to school
Ashley Felts
anfelts@unca.edu - Staff Writer
One UNC Asheville group
helps raise one-third of the uni
versity’s income through dona
tions.
“In times like this, where fi
nances are tight, donations from
alumni and parents really make
the difference in maintaining
the same level of support for
the university and the students
that go here,” Rebecca Lamb,
head of tbe Annual Giving
Program at UNC Asheville,
said.
The Telephone Outreach Pro
gram, also known as the stu
dent call center, was created to
raise money for the university.
Students call UNCA alumni
and parents of students to ask
for donations to support the
school.
“The call center opened in
the fall. We did a test about a
year-and-a-half prior to that, so
we did some calling from cam
pus. But, the telephone outreach
program as it exists today, start
ed in the fall as a program that
runs during the school year,”
Lamb said.
The call center serves a pur
pose larger than calling for do
nations, according to Lamb.
“One (purpose) is to reach
out and talk to our alumni and
check in with them to see what
they are doing. But, primarily,
the purpose of the call center is
to raise financial support for the
university to support the pro
grams and the greatest needs of
the university,” Lamb said.
According to Lamb, students
call instead of telemarketers so
alumni and parents feel more
connected to the university and
will be more willing to donate.
“Our hope would be that talk
ing to a student from our cam
pus, a real student who can talk
about what they have seen on
campus recently, or maybe has
the same major as the person
they are calling, that it would
be a more effective way than
having just a random telemar
keter calling,” she said.
Alumni are asked to donate
to the Chancellor’s Excellence
Fund and parents are asked to
donate to the Parents’ Fund.
These two funds are com
prised of unrestricted funds
Lamb said are very important
Adam Gross - Staff Photographer
Mel Holmes, right, and Angela Digianberadino place calls to
alumni for the Chancellor's fund. There are 21 student callers.
to the university.
It allows for the money to be
used wherever there is the great
est need, according to Lamb.
“This year and last year, there
was a significant increase for the
need of financial aid because of
changes in the economy, and the
university wanted to be able to
respond to those needs to make
sure students had the resources
they needed to stay in school,”
Lamb said. “The Chancellor’s
Excellence Fund helped pro
vide scholarships and financial
aid in that instance, so it really
was important.”
Follow the money
Lamb said the unrestricted
dollars go to many different
programs and change from year
to year because the university’s
needs change.
“Last school year, we were
able to come up with 87 percent
"Last school year, we were able to come up
with 87 percent of the need for financial
aid. This year, the number we have been
given is 80 percent. When you add that
money up, it really is something for people
giving $25 or $50. Those gifts add up to be
able to cover things like financial aid."
Rebecca Lamb
Head of the Annual Giving Program at UNC Asheville
of the need for financial aid.
This year, the number we have
been given is 80 percent. When
you add that money up, it really
is something for people giving
$25 or $50. Those gifts add up
to be able to cover things like
financial aid,” Lamb said.
Money from the Parents’
Fund has supported the Career
Center, a beneficial resource for
students and alumni, according
to Lamb.
“There is software that has
been purchased by the Career
Center that students and alumni
can access away from campus
as a way to help search jobs and
search careers,” Lamb said.
Another center funded by
donations was the Intercultural
Center, according to Lamb.
The donations also benefit re
search and provide better tech
nology to the school.
“Undergraduate research,
equipment supplies and travel
expenses are some examples the
donations affect. It frequently
directly impacts students, but
it’s also used for broad, general
initiatives,” Lamb said.
The donations received from
the call center also help better
the campus by making UNCA
more environmentally friendly.
“At one point, it was green
initiatives, being able to do the
geothermal heating for build
ings. This was an added re
source to help do some of these
projects whether it be replace
ment windows or more solar
heating,” Lamb said.
Student callers talk money
The call center is a,student-
run program, employing 21
students, including a call center
manager. On average, about 10
students work a night. The call
center is open Sunday through
Thursday, according to Lamb.
Rebecca Gordon, a fresh
man at UNCA, has been work
ing at the call center since No
vember and said she enjoys her
job.
“It’s a great community.
There are lots of very nice peo
ple,” Gordon said.
Gordon said her favorite part
of working at the call center is
calling people who are willing
to talk.
“The occasional calls we
make to people who really
want to talk to us and carry
on really good conversation,”
Gordon said. “Sometimes they
won’t give money, but it’s nice
to have somebody who really
wants to talk to you.”
Stephanie Sine, a transfer
atmospheric sciences student
at UNCA, said she agreed the
best part of the call center is
conversations with people ex
cited to talk to the callers.
“It can get a little monoto
nous, but it’s nice to talk to
alumni and see how they are
doing, see if they are succeed
ing. And, if they aren’t, then
what they are doing to fix that,”
Sine said.
However, Sine said calling
parents and alumni is not al
ways an enjoyable experience.
“There is a lot of negative
energy from the people we call.
Just because of the economy the
way it is right now, people are
losing jobs or haven’t had a job
in a long time, or they are un
happy because their major just
isn’t getting them anywhere,
or they are just unhappy about
something else. So, they bring
that on to you,” Sine said.
Gordon said angry people are
not a huge problem, but she still
gets nervous sometimes.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking
because it depends on who
picks up,” Gordon said. “Nor
mally, when people are angry,
they hang up on me, so I really
don’t have to handle it.”
Gordon said working at the
call center helped her develop
social skills, whereas Sine said
it helped her confidence the
most.
“It has definitely built my
confidence a bit because people
are turning you down constant
ly, so that has definitely helped
me because I can deal with neg
ative energy. It’s not always my
fault. It can be the other person
and that is helpful to know,”
Sine said.
According to Sine, calling is
not too hard as long as you can
keep a smile on your face and
cherish the positive feedback
you receive.