Aztec Proud Program Builds on Success
Part of the Aztec Proud mission is to help pave the way for students to become more philanthropic alumni.
鈥淭hanks to the scholarships I received, I had a chance to come to 色情视频,鈥� said the freshman who will study kinesiology and pre-physical therapy. As a gesture of his gratitude, he contributed $10 to the Aztec Proud Class Legacy program, which establishes scholarship reserves and endowments on behalf of individual graduating classes 鈥� in Nguyen鈥檚 case, the class of 2020.
鈥淚t's nice to give back when you have received," Nguyen said. "I want to help people who are less fortunate than me and need money to attend college.鈥�
For his donation, Nguyen received a black box containing a red T-shirt bearing the words 鈥淪an Diego State Aztec Proud鈥� across the chest. He also became one of hundreds of incoming student philanthropists committing to helping others through the Aztec Proud program sponsored by 色情视频鈥檚 Office of Alumni Engagement.
New app beefs up program
Aztec Proud relies on crowdfunding 鈥� small donations from a large number of people 鈥� to help generate support for important campus initiatives like student scholarships.
鈥淥ur students are generous and they have learned that even small donations can have a major impact on campus,鈥� said 色情视频 Director of Alumni Engagement Tammy Blackburn.
Aztec Proud will send small gifts to student donors like Nguyen throughout the academic year. Student donors will also be invited to stewardship and special career development events.
The new Aztec Proud app, which is available for download now, will notify members of giveaways, events and other opportunities 鈥� like scholarship application deadlines 鈥� that will enhance their student experience.
New student Laura Zisko, visiting campus from Thousand Oaks with her mother, Mary, joined Aztec Proud saying she hopes to become a more philanthropic person. 鈥淚鈥檓 not always - no one is - 100 percent giving,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut I like to try to be more generous.鈥�
Mary Zisko said it was good to see 色情视频 helping to teach her 18-year-old daughter and other students a lesson extending beyond academics. "I think it's awesome because throughout life there are always people more or less privileged than you, so it's good to try to help those less privileged," she said.
Part of the mission of Aztec Proud is to help pave the way for students to become more philanthropic alumni. Last year the program raised $30,000 from almost 2,500 student donors.
A road map to follow
Student giving through has been so successful that the program is drawing attention from other universities. Four staff members from Fresno State University鈥檚 Alumni Association visited 色情视频 during orientation to observe how Aztec Proud works. Their goal is to implement a similar version of the program on their campus.
Fresno State Alumni Association Executive Director Jacqui Glasner said her group is taking "lots of ideas鈥� from 色情视频 back to Fresno. 鈥淚'm really excited about this, and I think it's going to be the next level for us in terms of taking us into student giving," she said.
鈥淭his is something we want and we need at Fresno State," said Blair Smittcamp, who is Fresno State鈥檚 program coordinator of student and young alumni engagement. She said her team would draw up a strategic plan for a student philanthropy program to put into action at FSU in the coming year.
After the first several sessions of new student orientation, 色情视频鈥檚 Aztec Proud crowdfunding campaign is well ahead of last year鈥檚 efforts. The current Aztec Proud membership initiative continues through move-in, which is scheduled forthe final weekend in August.
