Annual Fund campaign raises a record £120,000 to support students

Goldsmiths alumni have donated and pledged a record £120,000 to the Annual Fund to help students at the university.

The amount was raised following a three-week telephone fundraising campaign staffed by our students.

Surpassing last year’s total by over £15,000, the latest telephone campaign has been the most successful to date and shows that when a large number of our alumni make a contribution it translates into a significant and vital resource for helping sustain the university.

The campaign saw student callers spending evenings and weekends contacting Goldsmiths alumni to raise vital donations.

The money raised went straight to The Annual Fund which contributes to The Student Hardship Fund as well as hundreds of projects led by students and staff at the university.

Working on the telephone campaign also provided an invaluable opportunity for current students to speak with alumni about their time at Goldsmiths, receive advice and even gain work experience.

One of the student callers said the campaign was “an eye-opening chance to get careers advice from alumni who were once in our situation as well as the ability to fundraise for a good cause”.

An alumni donor said: “The student caller was simply a pleasure to speak to and had offered to volunteer at our community arts project. We very much look forward to meeting them.”

Continuing to fund a wide variety of projects that improve the student experience, encourage community engagement and advocating extra-curricular collaborative working, The Annual Fund has supported a number of successful projects this academic year.

From a Christmas dinner for international students and a shed for the university allotment, to stress relief workshops and Goldsmiths’ Drama Society’s performance at Edinburgh Fringe 2016; in the last seven years the Annual Fund has made 194 awards totalling more than £260,000.

Sarah Enderby, Regular Giving Coordinator said: “I couldn’t be happier with how this year’s Telephone Campaign went. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of our alumni and the connection and warmth they still feel towards Goldsmiths, even after decades have passed since they graduated.

"The feedback we have received has been enormously positive and the student callers were exceptional. Thank you to the students for representing Goldsmiths so professionally and positively.

“Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of this record- breaking campaign, especially to those who have helped by making a contribution to the Annual Fund.”