Public campaign raises $24M since October

Since the October launch of Brighter Together, Rollins’s public fundraising campaign, members of the Rollins community have given or pledged more than $24 million out of Rollins’s $35 million goal. 

“But, of course, we would love to exceed even that,” said Laurie Houck, vice president for Institutional Advancement. 

The current campaign has garnered $276 million since its launch 10 years ago, with private donors giving toward institutional priorities. One of the most recent private donations was pledged by Philip and Siggy Tiedtke, who donated $5 million toward the new Tiedtke Theatre and Dance Center, which is currently under construction.

“I hope this campaign supports students with added funding for student programs like internships, career exploration, student-faculty collaborative scholarship, immersions, and related academic and co-curricular programs, along with financial aid,” Houck said. “We also want to increase the number of alumni volunteers offering internships, classroom experience, mentorship, and jobs.”

The last fundraising campaign at Rollins occurred between 1993 and 2001 and totaled $160 million in donations, which is equivalent to approximately $272.5 million in today’s money. 

According to Houck, “our campaign priorities are academic strength, applied learning, financial aid and scholarships, the Rollins Fund, and the Innovation Triangle (the Alfond Inn, the Rollins Museum, and the Crummer Graduate School of Business). Donors decide where their gifts go, and we try to align their interests with our priorities.”

Giving Day

Giving Day, Rollins’s 24-hour fundraising event, saw over 1,500 community members give a total of $550,000. This year’s donations increased 15 percent from last year’s Giving Day. 

“[This year’s Giving Day] was fabulous – the best ever!” said Houck.

Giving Days in 2021 and 2022 have raised more than a total of $1 million, more than double the total amount raised in 2019 and 2020. Details on where Giving Day funds are distributed are listed online.

Houck said that students can help spread the word about Brighter Together, Rollins’s public campaign, by sharing “the importance of your Rollins education on social media; tell your friends and family what Rollins is enabling you to do. […] With Alumni Weekend coming up, say hello, engage in conversation, say thank you for being a part of the Rollins community. In doing this, you are helping us steward our donors and volunteers so they see the amazing young people you are: graduates who will live meaningful lives and have productive careers.”