VCU and the VCU Health System gear up for annual Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign

By Leila Ugincius

Photos by Melissa Gordon, University News Services

Employees will notice some changes when they receive their packets for the Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health System combined 2007 Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, the state's annual giving program.

Those accustomed to the campaign starting in October will have to wait until Nov. 1 for the red envelopes bearing the annual pledge cards and information. The combined university and health system campaign is launching a full month after the start of the statewide campaign, "Give Hope." This year's VCU/VCUHS campaign will run from Nov. 1 to Dec. 14.

The condensed period means the deadline won't be extended as it has in past years, and campaign associates will have to work at a rapid-fire pace to collect donations.

"We felt that a shorter and more focused campaign might allow us to increase our participation, which is our goal for this year's campaign," said Deanna Lacy, campaign co-chair for the health system.

Several other new features, such as the eye-catching red mailings, availability of online giving for university employees and a silent art auction, will make this year's campaign more fun — and easier — for contributors.

"Dr. Baxter Perkinson has graciously donated 10 paintings to be auctioned to raise funds for each of VCU's charities," said Debbie Fitzgerald, campaign co-chair for the university. Perkinson, former rector of the Board of Visitors and current member of the Health System Board, is an accomplished artist, who created and donated a collection of original paintings for the new School of Nursing building. The auction will take place Nov. 2 through Nov. 16.

Employees and prospective bidders will be able to view the paintings (shown in the above slide show) at the campaign kickoff on Friday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Commons. Participating VCU charities will also be on hand to provide information about their respective causes. After the kickoff, the paintings will move to the Gateway Gallery, where they will be on display Nov. 5 through Nov. 11.

Because the primary goal is to increase participation rather than reaching a specific dollar amount, the CVC committee hopes this year's changes will entice more people to get involved.

"Employees may think that they need to give a lot of money. They don't realize that even a $1 donation per pay period can make a difference," said Fitzgerald. "There are 1,250 participating charities so employees can select a charity or charities of their choice and give by payroll deduction so it's real easy."

Of this year's participating charities, 10 are affiliated with VCU, including the Hospital Hospitality House, the Loftis Bereavement Fund, the VCU Massey Cancer Center, the VCU-Carver Community Partnership, the Virginia Mentoring Partnership, the Center for Human-Animal Interaction, Pediatric Palliative Care and the Virginia Council on Economic Education. New to the list are Connect Richmond, a network of information tools designed to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations, and ElderFriends, which reduces isolation and loneliness among low-income, shut-in elders by pairing them with trained volunteers who provide companionship.

John Bennett, senior vice president for finance and administration, is chair of the university and health system combined campaign. According to state CVC guidelines, 100 percent of proceeds designated for a charity through the use of a pledge card will go to the charity or charities indicated. Employees can make contributions using cash, check, credit card or payroll deduction.

Between 2001 and 2006, the VCU and VCU Health System combined campaign has donated more than $2.5 million to charity.

The 2006 statewide CVC collected $4.3 million in contributions from employees across Virginia.

For more information on the university and health system combined campaign, visit http://www.vcu.edu/cvc/index.html.