Senior Gift Likely to Fall Short of Expectations

The participation rate among seniors for the Senior Gift donation campaign is lower than in any of the previous five years and is expected to fall well short of the 80 percent goal organizers set last year.

According to data released to AC Voice by the Advancement Office, only one previous class in the past five years, the Class of 2016, has failed to breach the 80 percent participation mark. In an email sent to the Class of 2018 on Monday, a week before the end of the campaign, the Senior Gift Co-chairs said that only 59 percent of the class had donated this far.

This year’s campaign began audaciously in November, 200 days before graduation, with an email noting that “the record to beat is 91.9% participation held by the class of 1990. Last year, 2017 came in at 86.4% participation, and we think we can do even better.”

Campaign organizers clarified to AC Voice that neither of these figures were ever the official goal of the Senior Gift campaign but did not respond to further requests for comment.

Class	Participation Rate
2018	59%*
2017	86.4%
2016	66.5%
2015	89.1%
2014	86.2%
2013	86.4%

It is not clear at this time how much actual money the campaign has raised, nor why participation rates are lower than in past years.

*As of May 7, 2018.