The Sixties Room, in Cowan Court, was buzzing with the sound of our team of current Churchill students connecting with our alumni community from 12 to 29 September 2022. As well as seeking vital support for our Think Forward campaign, the callers enjoyed hearing stories about the College’s past and were inspired by the wide variety of interesting career paths our alumni have followed after their time at Churchill. During the telethon, they all gained confidence and developed transferable skills that will undoubtedly augment their CVs. We are extremely grateful to all of the alumni around the world who were able to accept a phone call to help make this year’s telethon a success. Thank you.
220 alumni have already donated and several more are in the process of making their gifts at the moment, but we are pleased to update you with the figures we have thus far. 55% of those who were spoken to this September made a gift, which is again a wonderful testament to the ongoing generosity of our alumni, during a very challenging time for all.
Our telethons aim to have a wide geographical reach, so we are delighted that one quarter of the alumni who donated in response to this year’s telethon live outside the UK, residing in twenty different countries around the world. 47% of donors in this telethon chose to commit their support to the College through a monthly, quarterly or annual regular gift. This type of giving really helps the College to plan for the future which is an underlying principle of our Think Forward campaign.
More than £200,000 has been raised so far (when counting three years of regular gift pledges) and, thanks to our generous match donors, everyone’s gifts will have an even greater impact. The matching pot comprised £25,000 from alumnus Eddie Powell (U&G67), and a further £30,000 matching for gifts made to the Winston Churchill Top-Up Bursary Fund. By choosing to make their first gift to the College during this year’s telethon, 31 alumni also unlocked over £7,000 of matched funding from the University’s Harding Challenge, which will be released into the enhanced Cambridge Bursary scheme to help even more undergraduates in the greatest financial need.
With a limited number of calling hours in our annual telethon, it is unfortunately never possible to call everyone who we would like to. If you were missed this year and have been moved by reading about the collective generosity of the alumni community, you too can still be part of it. It is not too late to add your support to this year’s campaign by visiting www.chu.cam.ac.uk/donate and we would be so grateful to you. Every gift, no matter the size, really does make a difference to the students at Churchill. Read more and add your contribution by visiting the Think Forward campaign website.
Thank you again to everyone who spoke to our students and supported the Telephone Campaign 2022!
