UNM reaches fundraising goal, donates $1M to United Way

The UNM community donated a record amount to United Way this year.

The fundraising campaign began last semester and lasted until early this semester, when the UNM community exceeded its goal of $1 million by raising $1,010,604.
“I think UNM is full of a lot of right-minded people who appreciate the need and realize that we’ve got pretty good jobs around here,” said Doug Brown, dean of Anderson School of Management. “We can dig in despite the financial pressures, and they did and we’re very pleased they did.”

Connie Beimer, who coordinatated UNM’s fundraising effort, said this campaign had the highest number of participants in school history with more than 2,000 faculty and staff contributors this year, and 243 who contributed for the first time.

Jenny Shroba, student liaison for United Way, said students gave $600 more than last year, totaling in $1,600, to the cause by purchasing paper paws in the SUB.

“It started out with just a couple paws, with people writing their names on it, and then a couple weeks go by and the walls are painted with the paws,” Shroba said.
Brown, who volunteered as a co-chair for United Way, said nonprofits are receiving fewer donations lately due to the financial crisis, even though their services are needed more.

“It’s really a compound problem,” Brown said. “We deans need to do everything we can to find good people within our organizations who can carry the torch and encourage others within our faculty and staff to give.”

Even though students only contributed .2 percent of the funds raised this year, Shroba said it’s important to inspire the spirit of giving early in life.

“Eventually, we’re all going to graduate and hopefully be higher up and have more of a paycheck to contribute,” she said. “I think starting that generosity at a younger age will help perpetuate that when you’re older as well.”

Brown said he wasn’t sure if UNM would meet its goal when many people are struggling with the economy already.

“We’re a big part of the community, and the community is a big part of us,” he said. “If the community needs aren’t being taken care of, that’s going to affect us in many ways too.”

Beimer said the largest chunk of change — $325,000 — was donated to the “community fund,” which United Way uses to give grants to nonprofits focusing on children, families, violence victims and health care.

Last year, United Way contributed $4.8 million in community funds to more than 100 organizations, she said.