December 2020 Campaign Update

$664 Million and Counting

Drexel supporters rallied through the fall to bring The Campaign for Drexel fundraising total to $664 million. Fueling this progress were significant leadership commitments, including a transformative $9 million gift from Dana Dornsife ’83, HD ’14 and her husband, David, HD ’14, to launch a new Center on Racism and Health, as well as enhance Drexel’s ability to recruit and retain faculty experts on racial inequities in health, while also endowing the deanship for public health.

A Record-Breaking GivingTuesday

Gifts of every amount from hundreds of alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends propelled this year’s record-breaking GivingTuesday fundraising drive, which took place on December 1. More than 300 donors gave more than $30,000 to help Drexel students and local families struggling with food insecurity. Donations support Mario’s Market, Drexel’s first on-campus food pantry; Drexel’s Student Meal Swipe Donation program, which funds meals in Drexel dining halls for students who cannot afford a meal plan; the Emergency Fund for Families at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, which provides basic items, including groceries, to St. Christopher’s patient families living in poverty; and the Alumni Turkey Project, which provides local families in need with holiday meals. Go to our GivingTuesday website for more detailed information about donor impact, or if you’d like to support one or more of these programs.

Another Banner Year for the Alumni Turkey Project

The Alumni Turkey Project is having a record-breaking year overall. Including the funds raised on GivingTuesday, donors have given more than $90,000 to this longstanding alumni tradition, far surpassing this year’s initial goal of $51,000. Now in its 47th year, the Alumni Turkey Project provides more than 2,000 holiday meals to 50 community partners for distribution to families in need in Philadelphia and beyond. The non-profit Sharing Excess, founded by Evan Ehlers ’19, helped to support the project through the distribution of more than 13,000 canned goods, and more than 100 alumni signed up to participate in a virtual discussion addressing hunger and food insecurity in our communities on December 17.

Surpassing the Campaign Goal for Alumni Engagement

GivingTuesday and the Alumni Turkey Project were just two of the many ways Drexel alumni continued to find ways to connect with and support their alma mater despite the challenges of the pandemic. In 2020, more than 10,500 alumni engaged with Drexel by giving, participating in events (most of them virtual) and volunteering. As of December 1, the University surpassed our goal of engaging 35,000 alumni during the duration of the Campaign. We are particularly grateful for the leadership of the Alumni Board of Governors in facilitating numerous alumni engagement opportunities, including the establishment of the Alumni Impact Endowed Scholarship, which recently exceeded its initial $500,000 goal and has supported two students thus far.

Opportunities to Keep the Momentum Going

With less than $100 million to go toward the Campaign’s $750 million goal, the coming weeks and months offer important opportunities to keep the momentum going. You can drive student success and Drexel’s impact in the community by making a year-end gift by December 31. Drexel alumni, faculty and staff can now join Dragon Network, the University’s online professional community where alumni and students can establish mentor-mentee relationships, explore groups based on shared affinities and interests, post alumni and co-op job opportunities, and more. Please also keep an eye out for news about the next Day of Giving on May 5 and Alumni Weekend on May 21-23.

Progress on Select Campaign Priorities

(As of December 22, 2020)

$147 million for research initiatives
$127 million for academic support
$136 million for scholarships and co-ops
$59 million for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
$38 million for civic engagement
$32 million for learning spaces
$30 million for professorships and chairs