It had never been done before.  Last week, March 6-9, sixteen Andrews University student callers raised a total of $31,750 in an extension of the annual fall alumni phonathon.  Last fall, the alumni called contributed $129,000, the highest amount raised in the last five years.  However, the student callers were unable to reach 5000 alumni households.  The decision was made to contact these remaining alumni in the spring semester. 

The students called from 6:00 PM until midnight on each of the four days (each time zone was called until 9 PM local time) and, in addition to the total dollars raised, attracted 91 new alumni donors.  Donors were, "very encouraging," said Coordinator of Annual Giving, Dena King, organizer of the phonathon. "We didn't really know what to expect... the support of our alumni was very encouraging!"

Most gifts were designated for the Annual Fund, which provides for the day to day needs of the campus.

King said that the purpose of the phonathon is not simply to raise funds but also to update alumni records and establish personal contact with Andrews alumni.