President Jo Ann Gora announced to a maximum-capacity crowd at Scheumann Stadium on Friday that Ball State University is more than halfway to the goal of its fundraising campaign.
But it's not time to lose momentum. It's time to increase efforts so the university can surpass its goal.
The university has sprinted halfway to the finish line of this money-seeking marathon, already having raised more than $122 million of its $200 million goal.
Fundraisers got so far so fast because soon after Gora arrived here in 2004, she began pushing the university to collect money from some of our biggest donors.
We've waved good-bye to the halfway marker in the most ambitious capital campaign Ball State has taken part in, but now it has a new challenge.
All the money so far has come from private donors, 22 of whom donated more than $1 million each. The marlins have all been reeled in; now it's time to go after the minnows.
After her announcement, Gora said it would be a "team effort" to find the remaining $78 million. It will be tough to get this chunk of money from people who can't write checks worth millions, but this doesn't mean the university should lose steam.
In less than four years, Ball State has been able raise more than $122 million - a few more zeros than any of our paychecks would accrue in four years. Because of this, the university can feasibly surpass the $200 million mark before 2011.
Last year, Ball State reported having 3,505 seniors. If every one donated $100 after graduation - yes, a hard thought to bear after four or more years of tuition - then that would bring in $350,500 for one class.
The senior class has teetered around the same size for the last five years. If Ball State sought $100 from each of these students, then that should bring in between $1.5 million and $2 million. That's a big sum from a small pool, and going back a few decades to find alumni who are more economically established, the donations could get larger.
Reaching the halfway mark has been a walk in the woods for Ball State, but now it's a matter of bushwhacking to the end, one alumnus at a time. Although this means it will become more tedious, this doesn't mean the campaign should lose its momentum.
Pulling together more than $200 million is a realistic goal. Just because Ball State can easily hit this mark early, that doesn't mean the university should cease or slow its efforts. There are three years left until the campaign is done. Don't formally change the goal, but if Ball State wants to give a 110 percent effort, then show it by raising $220 million.
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