The Power of Flexible Philanthropy Visit salemstate.edu/impact to learn more about how unrestricted support has made an impact this year.
“Unrestricted support is especially important at a time of change in higher education and the world around us. We remain committed to investing in areas that help to advance our diversity and inclusion efforts, drive our equity agenda, enhance student success and retention, and position students to lead in their communities and in their careers. These priorities are front and center as members of the Salem State community collaborate to determine where unrestricted support will have the greatest impact, and as we seek to be more student centered than ever before.” —John D. Keenan, president
Unrestricted gifts are critical to Salem State University. These flexible gifts provide us with critical and necessary funding—whether to start a new student success initiative, support students’ needs or weather a pandemic. Here, we share the perspectives of six individuals—donors, program leaders and students—who deeply understand the power of unrestricted philanthropy. SUPPORTING SALEM STATE AND ITS STUDENTS: ELAINE A. ZETES ’88G “It was known and expected in our family that higher education would push each of us forward. In the 1940s, my aunt and uncle graduated from Salem State. I followed them in 1988 when I earned my MBA here. When I give unrestricted dollars through the Annual Fund, I know I’m giving to an institution that is well managed. It doesn’t matter what amount you give—every unrestricted dollar goes to further the goals of Salem State and its students. It’s important to remember that you can give to unrestricted as well as other specific areas of the university. Doing one doesn’t mean you can’t do the other!” PROTECTING AND ADVOCATING FOR LGBTQ STUDENTS: EVAN KRAVETTE ’22G “I joined the Inclusive Excellence team as an intern to help figure out how to better support LGBTQ students. When I saw that our bisexual, transgender and queer students are more likely to report experiencing unwanted sexual contact than their cisgender peers who are heterosexual, gay or lesbian, I wanted to focus my work in that area. I’m grateful that unrestricted funding provided this opportunity to create a new program and simultaneously prepared me for my career while engaging in this crucial work for our most vulnerable students. The more unrestricted funding we can access moving forward, the more we can develop programs and resources to support underrepresented student populations across Salem State. There’s so much more we could do.” 8
YOUR IMPACT IN ACTION
