Rice United Way Campaign off to successful start: 43 percent to goal

Tudors again offer generous matching gift

At the end of the first week of Rice’s 2015 United Way Campaign, pledges and contributions total more than $96,000 — 43 percent of the $225,000 goal.

United Way Campaign chairs Herb Ward, far left, and Tina Villard, third from right, congratulate employees in the Investments Division for achieving 100 percent participation in the first week of Rice's 2015 United Way Campaign. Photo provided by Greg Marshall.

The George R. Brown School of Engineering and the Wiess School of Natural Sciences lead the campus in the number of lead donors (five) and Club 21 members (three), respectively, and the Housing and Dining division is tied with Natural Sciences for the most Club 21 members and leads the campus in Century Club (eight) members and the overall number of donors (24). Club 21 is a giving level of $500, about $21 per paycheck by automatic payroll deductions over the year. The Century Club is a $100 giving level, about $4 per paycheck.

“But the real superstars of Week 1 of our campaign are our colleagues in the Investments Division, who have already achieved 100 percent participation and who lead the campus in funds raised,” said Greg Marshall ’86, director of University Relations and United Way campaign manager.

The Investments Division raised a total of $13,106. Social Sciences is in second place for funds raised — $8,500 — and the Finance Division is a close third with $8,441.

Campaign staff chair Tina Villard, director of the Gibbs Recreation Center, said, “Last year, we cut the duration of the campaign in half, and our ‘short and sweet’ effort resulted in Rice’s best year ever. This year we’re trying make it even shorter and just as sweet — only eight weeks — so we hope our fellow Rice employees will make their pledges right away.”

Campaign faculty chair Herb Ward, said, “To encourage our campus colleagues to pledge today, we’re also offering a really sweet deal: For a limited time, Rice Board Chair Bobby Tudor will match any increase that Rice employees make in this year’s pledge as compared with last year’s; so if this is your first year to give, you could double your money.”

To date, Rice employees who have increased their pledges over last year’s amount have claimed nearly $14,000 of dollar-for-dollar matching funds from Rice Board of Trustees Chairman Bobby Tudor ’82 and his wife, Phoebe, and that limited time offer continues, so if you haven’t yet, pledge today at rice.edu/unitedway.