Students give thanks for donor-funded scholarships
More than 1,700 University of Idaho students received donor-funded scholarships this academic year and each one has the opportunity to give a little back to those who have invested in them.
Not with money, but with thank you notes.
The tenth annual UI Thank-A-Thon will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, in the Clearwater and Whitewater rooms in the Idaho Commons. The Student Foundation, along with support from Donor Relations and Stewardship and the Financial Aid Office, will put on the two-day event.
Kathy Foss, associate director of Donor Relations and Stewardship, said the Thank-A-Thon is more than scholarship appreciation — it’s a chance for students to appreciate the people behind the scholarships.
“It is a two-day event for students receiving donor funded scholarships to write thank you notes to those donors,” she said.
She said both the Student Foundation and the Donor Relations and Stewardship offices are looking forward to the event and the positive outcomes that come with student-donor relations.
Foss said not only does 2014 mark the tenth year of the program, but it also approaches the event’s 10,000th thank you letter. Over the last nine years, there have been 8,700 letters written by students and Foss said the goal for this year’s Thank-A-Thon is a turnout of at least 1,000 students and the creation of at least 2,000 letters.
The purpose of writing letters to donors is to thank them for their contributions, Foss said. Students are encouraged to include additional information about themselves such as their academic standing, GPA, extra curricular activities or anything else students want to share with their supporters.
According to Dan Davenport, the director of financial aid, the letters are one of the most impactful parts of maintaining the current amount of scholarships because it encourages current donors to give more and recruits new donors for the future.
He said since the launch of Thank-A-Thon ten years ago, numerous donors have mentioned receiving thank you notes from students and have said it is the best part about funding scholarships at UI.
Foss said while the cause is important, the environment of the Thank-A-Thon may be enough to draw some students in.
“We will provide food and snack throughout the day,” Foss said.
All stationary will be provided so students do not need to bring any writing or mailing supplies. Foss said each attending student would receive the contact information of their personal donors so students can have creative control of the letters — from picking out the cards to writing addresses on envelopes.
Foss said for every thank you letter a student writes, there is an available raffle ticket that puts students into a drawing for a Vandal gift basket. The more letters one completes, the better the chance of winning. The VandalStore sponsors the raffle.
Macklin Brown can be reached at [email protected]