Employee giving is increasing this year as campus leaders step up and encourage employees to donate to NAU.
University Advancement launched its Oz. 4 Oz. employee giving campaign to encourage faculty and staff to donate to funds that support more than 1,200 NAU programs, departments and scholarships.
Two employees, Karen Pugliesi, vice provost for Academic Affairs, and Don Carter, director of the e-Learning Center, have offered to contribute $2 for each percentage of their employees who give to the campaign.
“I did it as incentive to motivate as many of my staff members to donate as possible,” Carter said. “Now more than 90 percent of e-Learning employees have given. I expect we will hit 100 percent, and I’m hoping this will motivate employees in other areas.”
Anne Marie Mackler, development coordinator in the Office of University Advancement, said last year employee giving was just over 10 percent, which was less than at peer universities. This year, employee giving is at 18.3 percent and growing.
“I believe in philanthropy,” Pugliesi said. “I think it is easy to lose sight of the smaller, but more important gifts of the many. When we all act on the value of philanthropy, it creates a community with an ethic of care.”
Across campus, team leaders for the Oz. 4 Oz. campaign have offered creative incentives to motivate employees to donate and embody the spirit of the campaign.
“The remarkable generosity and team spirit of these employees speaks positively to the overall kindness of the NAU community,” Mackler said. “When the going gets tough at NAU, we step up to the plate to become a part of the solution.”
While there is no financial goal for Oz. 4 Oz., the aim is to increase employee participation. Each employee is encouraged to make a donation, big or small. So far, the campaign has inspired nearly 200 employees to make a pledge or a gift to NAU.
Gifts are tax deductible, and donors will receive a travel mug, a coupon for a free beverage from Sodexo or Starbucks coffee and a 25-cent discount every time they use the mug on campus.
For information on Oz. 4 Oz. and how to donate, click here.