Record-breaker

There were lip-syncing professors, pets pining for the title of top dog and first-person thank-yous from students. Fun ruled and donors gave en masse during this year’s (603) Challenge, an annual fundraising drive that touches colleges, programs and departments across UNH’s three campuses each spring.

This year’s challenge was the most successful in the event’s eight-year history, raising more than $3.2 million.

“There’s something about feeling like you’re part of a group that’s making a difference; there’s real power in that,” says Jackie Overton, director of UNH Annual Giving. “Philanthropy has been part of higher education’s culture for as long as colleges and universities have been around, and especially in New Hampshire. The UNH experience would be so different for our students if we didn’t have this support every year.”

More than 12,000 donors made a gift to the university during the five-day fundraising event. Another motivating factor is matching gifts: A group of (603) underwriters provide funds to allow individual donors to double their impact — so a $50 gift to the equine studies program becomes a $100 gift, thanks to the support of those underwriters.

“This challenge is the best proof you could ever ask for that your gift really does make a difference,” she explains, noting that the average (603) Challenge donor has given less than $100. “And look what that adds up to.”

Money donated to UNH through The (603) Challenge is put to a variety of uses through the academic year — from helping students find transportation to internships, conferences and other experiences, to buying lab equipment, library materials, funding speakers and supporting research. Last year, (603) Challenge gifts helped support a writing retreat for the Graduate School; a new chromatography system for biochemistry labs in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture; the Sustainability Fellows program, where students partner with nonprofits; food in the food pantry at UNH Manchester; and four Civil and Environmental Undergraduate Experiential Learning Awards for students.

Donors shared some reasons for giving back. Kristin Dhabolt ’08 said the professors in the classics department “gave me the support and enthusiasm for learning that I needed to succeed beyond university,” while Ryan McGuinness ’11 reflected on his UNH career: “UNH is a special place and I want the current student athletes to have the same or greater experiences that I had. I’m lucky to be a Wildcat.”