New Annual Giving Club Brings Together Campus and Community Volunteers to Invest in Student Success, Provide Scholarships for Academic Excellence
This year, CSU Stanislaus is celebrating and supporting student success with a new annual fundraising campaign called One Purpose, which will provide scholarships to students who demonstrate academic excellence.
The scholarships offered as a result of the campaign will aim to recognize bright and talented students, support their academic progress and connect them with a community of supporters.
"We aspire to find opportunities to attract and educate students so that they can graduate with a meaningful and practical education, fully prepared to step into our region’s workforce and make an immediate impact,” CSU Stanislaus President Joseph F. Sheley said. “One Purpose has the ability to unite the campus and the community to invest in the success of our students and of our region.”
One Purpose brings together enthusiastic volunteers, generous donors and dedicated members of the community. The annual six-week fund drive utilizes the team concept, with campus and community leaders forming 24 teams with an ambitious goal of reaching $1 million to benefit scholarships for student success. The campaign will mobilize up to 350 volunteers.
“The vision of our annual campaign is to draw bright students to our university and invest in their success,” said Vice President for University Advancement Shirley Pok. “As I have been reaching out to volunteers, what is powerful is that they understand the value of offering students a scholarship with a hope and desire that those students will make this region their home and enrich our workforce.”
During the six-week campaign, individuals will be invited to join one of eight pledge levels. These pledge levels are structured, Pok said, to allow anyone the opportunity to participate in investing in student success. She said the team-based fundraising model, which unifies the campus and community, will also continue Sheley’s initiative to engage the region.
“There is power in numbers — individually, we could not be as impactful,” Pok said. “By unifying our efforts, we are able to make a difference that will resonate throughout our region.” The campaign will be bolstered by the enthusiasm of Jacqueline Holt, who joined the University Advancement team in December 2013 as Director of Annual Giving.
“Jacqueline Holt brings with her a solid foundation of experience using the team concept for nonprofit fundraising,” Pok said. “She delivers organizational leadership with sophistication and upholds relationships as a critical key to success.”
Holt, a Turlock native and Stanford University graduate, said her passion for fundraising arose from her initial desire to be a doctor and her experience in a healthcare internship in Africa.
“I ended up looking at healthcare needs in the region from a business perspective and how to effectively raise money and awareness for those needs,” Holt said. “From that experience, I realized that my strengths were in helping to fundraise and build awareness in order to give back to the community.”
Holt is passionate about education, having served on the Turlock Unified School Board as a student liaison while attending Pitman High School. Now working in higher education, Holt said she is motivated by the opportunity to impact students.
Connecting community members who are also passionate about education and student success with volunteer and giving opportunities will be among Holt’s goals as the director of the annual giving program.
“One Purpose volunteers are ambassadors to share our points of pride in the community,” she said. “The volunteer experience is exciting — it’s a tight-knit network where they will build relationships with others who support student success and are dedicated to reaching our goal of $1 million in six weeks. I truly believe that we are going to make history, and the journey will be rewarding.”
Those interested in volunteering or becoming a member of One Purpose are encouraged to contact Holt at (209) 664-6864 or JLHolt@csustan.edu.