[JonoBN41]

Asking for donations really does work. Our alumni association started doing this in earnest about 5 years ago with what we now call the Duesletter which we send out the beginning of each year. Usually it's combined with a printed newsletter, and - most important! - includes a return reply stamped envelope and a slip of paper for the donee's name and any address / e-mail changes.

Response has been good and is getting better every year. We make it a point to ask for only $25, but about half the alumni send more than that - $50, $100, $500, even a thousand or more. This year one brother sent two checks totaling $1,400.

With an alumni base of about 600, we have around 350 valid postal addresses and I think we got 64 checks this year totalling almost $5,500.

Most of the money collected goes to the chapter in one way or another. For the past two years the AA has sent a check in the fall for about $1,500 for them to use for the escalating costs of liability insurance premiums, 90% of which is due very close to the beginning of the school year. It helps them from getting behind right off the bat. Other funds go to the chapter for Founders Day, conferences, General Assembly, etc.

Any leftover money is kept as savings for a possible scholarship or emergencies. Florida Tech is so expensive now that the small amount we have at the present time would be essentially meaningless as a scholarship, but we hope to build that up over time. Right now, we just want to maintain the chapter on a solid footing.

So don't hesitate to try something like this. Although we have a response rate of only 18%, in terms of fundraising that's not bad, and many send more than is asked.