By Emily Glory Peters
Since its inception, 91¶¶Ņõās mission has always involved helping students meet the challenges of their times. The Scripps Fund, which supports the Collegeās essential operations, shares a similar purpose: to meet Scrippsā greatest needs.
Still, not all donors are aware of how far their gifts go. For example, shares Director of The Scripps Fund Perry Radford, the general public may not know that tuition doesnāt cover the full operating expenses of the College.
āA private institution like Scripps needs something like The Scripps Fund to help fill this gap by offsetting operational costs, opening doors to new opportunities for students and faculty, and helping us prepare for unexpected emergencies,ā she says. āIf you picture what it takes to run a collegeāfrom academic programs to campus enhancementsāthatās what your gift to The Scripps Fund supports.ā
What Else Does The Scripps Fund Do? You Get to Choose
While the flexibility of general or āunrestrictedā gifts is crucial to keeping Scrippsā signature programs intact and thriving, we recognize that donors often want to personalize their gifts. To help, designations within The Scripps Fund were created to address the Collegeās highest needs as well as our communityās passion projects. To demonstrate the far-reaching impact of gifts to these different areas, the College shares giving stories online throughout the year.
Suzette Guzman ā18 received scholarship aid thanks to The Scripps Fund donors.
Take Suzette Guzman ā18. Scientist, dancer, and first-generation college student, Guzmanās Scripps education was made possible by scholarships, one of The Scripps Fundās most popular giving areas.
Initially struggling in science, Guzman says that Scripps taught her to āknow when to ask for help,ā a practice that propelled her to the top of her class. Now a neuroscience graduate student at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Guzman is showing other students a future like hers āis not impossible,ā especially with access to scholarships.
āIt means so much to me and to my family that I get to achieve a higher education,ā she says about those who helped fund her time at Scripps. āI wouldnāt be here today without [their] help.ā
And just this November, support of the sustainability giving area at Scripps helped on campus, ultimately serving as a creative sustainability funding source through the sale of olive oil. Itās just one example, notes Scripps Director of Facilities Operations and Sustainability Lesley Swick, of how donors shape the Scripps of today as well as tomorrow.
āGifts to sustainability ensure that we can continue to set the standard for sustainable thinking and design for our community and remain good stewards of the environment,ā she says. āThey help us implement change at Scripps that is long-lasting.ā
The Scripps Fund: Why Your Support Matters
As Scripps pursues new avenues of excellence, gifts to The Scripps Fund matter because they make up the framework of Scrippsā unique culture of giving. Itās a culture largely defined by our network of alums who live out the Collegeās missional characteristics of leadership, service, integrity, and creativity every day. Yet the intimate size of the College means a smaller pool of alumnae, making collective support that much more essentialāsomething our alums excel at thanks to their shared sense of ownership for what happens on campus.
This ongoing connection to the College manifests in various ways, from volunteering to attending a campus event to making transformative gifts. But support doesnāt always need to come in the form of major donations, nor is it the sole responsibility of alumnae. The Scripps Fundās annual Day of Giving, is the perfect example of families, faculty, staff, and community members joining together with alumnae to support the College’s mission by making gifts of all sizes.
These gifts not only transform the academic experience for students, Radford explains, they impact the Collegeās rankings and elevate the value of a Scripps educationāsomething all Scripps supporters can take pride in.
āWhen you give to The Scripps Fund, itās a value statement. Youāre saying, āI value what Scripps does and understand that itās only able to exist because weāre supporting it as a community,āā she says. Above all, gifts to The Scripps Fund matter because they represent people who believe weāre stronger together than we are apartāand who invest in that community.
āThere are so many ways to be connected and feel gratitude for Scripps, whether youāre an alum, a parent, or someone who simply wants others to have access to this kind of educational experience,ā Radford shares. āScripps leaves a mark on people for the better. Thatās why everyone giving together is so powerful.ā
Supporting The Scripps Fund means you not only help directly meet the Collegeās greatest needs, but you shape its future for the better. Close out 2019 on a high note by to The Scripps Fund today or reach out to Perry Radford, director of The Scripps Fund at [email protected] | (909) 621-8160 to learn more.
Interested in learning more? Check out our latest giving and impact news here.