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Syracuse University’s Forever Orange campaign is on track to surpass its fundraising goal despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, university officials said. 

The Forever Orange campaign was originally organized to raise a goal of $1.5 billion in private donations and funds. At a University Senate meeting in January, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced that SU was on track to pass the $1 billion mark by late spring or early summer.

Although the campaign is on track, SU is leaving the time frame for the campaign’s completion open to account for new opportunities and leadership changes, said Matt Ter Molen, SU’s chief advancement officer. The advancement team has adapted to issues posed by the pandemic, which put an end to travel and in-person meetings with alumni that are part of the university’s traditional fundraising approach.

“We found that our alums, just as they’re willing to meet you for a coffee or a dinner, are just as willing to set up a Zoom meeting and talk to you about supporting Syracuse University,” Ter Molen said.

Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for communications, said that the success of the campaign was a testament to the creativity of the advancement team, who used new technologies, such as Zoom, to connect with alumni who don’t live in the immediate area.

The advancement team found new ways to collaborate with other offices on campus to create engagement events, Scalese said. Traditionally, the team holds events such as Family Weekend and Orange Central, which traditionally took place around Halloween. With the pandemic, these programs had to be overhauled or scrapped entirely.

Ter Molen said that the advancement team also organized engagement activities for alumni, such as virtual wine tastings and pizza-making evenings, as well as virtual speakers and celebrations for Orange Central and Family Weekend. Although these events looked different, alumni responded positively.

Many alumni were happy to connect amid the isolation of the pandemic, said Rachel Vassel, associate vice president for the office of multicultural advancement.

“Because everyone has slowed down, it can be a bit easier to connect with alumni at this time,” she said. “In some cases, our digital events are attracting significantly more alumni across the U.S. and abroad than we’d ever get in person.”

Syverud said in the University Senate meeting that SU had raised over $60 million in new business by Dec. 31, proving that it was capable of attracting donors even in the middle of the pandemic. The key to developing new business was relying on the strong base of alumni that want to help, Ter Molen said.

“I think the pandemic is a very compelling case for support for SU,” Ter Molen said. “Our donors see the value of a Syracuse education. They see the impact of Syracuse research. They want to support our students, and they want to support our faculty.”

Because of the pandemic, donors had to allocate funding without necessarily being given access to what it goes toward, such as the Schine Student Center, Ter Molen said.

Although donors were unable to tangibly see the progress of their donations, SU worked with different departments to share the impact the alumni had through virtual events and social media, Ter Molen said.

“I think there’s trust in the university, and belief in the mission of the university,” Ter Molen said. “People are willing to give to and support organizations they believe in.”

Published on February 22, 2021 at 9:21 pm

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2