Campaign ASU 2020, an institution-wide fundraising effort focusing on philanthropy and its effect on ASU went public Friday morning.
The initiative aims to raise $1.5 billion in private support, and since its pre-launch phase began in 2011, the campaign raised $1 billion from over 260,000 donors.
ASU is focusing its funding toward six fundraising objectives: ensure student access and excellence, champion student success, elevate the academic enterprise, enrich its communities, drive Sun Devil competitiveness and fuel discovery, creativity and innovation.
The campaign is using this opportunity to share stories about the impact of private support at ASU while fundraising to continue that support.
“One of the things that gets me excited about this campaign is that people that most students don’t know or have never met are opening up their resources and giving us gifts to help advance Arizona Sate University,” Rick Shangraw, CEO of the ASU Foundation, said.
“Whether it be scholarships, or it allows students to do more undergraduate research projects, students to be more active in events on campus or whether it allows us to get a chair or a faculty member, so we can have the best teachers available to our students.”
ASU is a collective effort to advance excellence and access. Together, our potential is limitless. https://t.co/nHVfyWZQ5p #CampaignASU2020
— Michael Crow (@michaelcrow) January 27, 2017
Shangraw said he is hoping that students benefit either directly or indirectly from the campaign, and will then be able to share the message of philanthropy with the world.
“They probably have been touched by philanthropy in some way since we launched this campaign, and part of our hope is that we can begin connecting the dots for people about how philanthropy has really influenced their lives,” Shangraw said.
Shangraw said since the kickoff of the campaign, 55,600 students have already received scholarships from this fundraising.
“It isn’t only about raising the money, but actually putting the infrastructure and the teams and the people and the programs in place so that we can do that consistently in the future years,” Shangraw said.
Lindsay Zapata, a junior at ASU and a benefactor of private support, shares the campaign’s passion for philanthropy.
“Most students don't realize it — but many of us are already philanthropists," Zapata said. "Personally, I don't have the funds to give a gift to ASU right now, but I do donate my time along with many of my peers. Countless students are already giving back by volunteering and supporting causes they care about through research, advocacy, and the rest of their many talents."
Zapata said she encourages people to challenge themselves and bring their knowledge from their degree outside the classroom.
“Campaign ASU 2020 will inspire people to support people," Zapata said. "Whether that's through a donation, or spending countless hours in a research lab to discover another cure, both are supporting ASU's legacy.
Zapata said she knows that ASU is massive and tuition is expensive, but she’s hoping this campaign highlights hardworking students that deserve an education.
Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, executive director for ASU Gammage and associate vice president for Cultural Affairs, said she is excited to see all of the innovation and energy that will come out of this campaign.
“We in conjunction with HIDA, Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts, will collectively raise $90 million as part of the 2020 campaign," Jennings-Roggensack said. "That will go to look at artists, faculty, students and looking at how the University through art and culture tackles some of our most complex problems in the world."
She said she loves that dreaming and innovating is supported and encouraged at ASU, and that this campaign will help this belief.
“ASU 2020 is so vitally important to our community, to our state, our region, our nation and our world," She said."I have given to the campaign and so should you."
Correction: Lindsay Zapata's name was misspelled. The article has been updated to reflect the changes.
Reach the reporter at jctower@asu.edu or follow @tower_jo on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
