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4.9. Development and Fundraising The Wits Development and Fundraising Office (DFO) provides strategic development and fundraising advice and assistance to executive leadership and academics across all five Wits faculties, as well as professional administrative departments. Depending on the priority assigned to a project, assistance can be provided from project conceptualisation, proposal writing and prospect research through to working with key University executives and academics on implementing fundraising plans and approaches to prospects. The Wits Centenary (Wits100) Campaign entered its third year at the beginning of 2020. Despite coinciding with the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic shutdown, Wits100 fundraising and development activities continued to be implemented in line with the campaign plan - albeit that certain critical projects that required ad hoc funding were incorporated into the plan as part of the University’s emergency response to the pandemic. These projects included the manufacture of sorely needed PPE facemasks for healthcare - and related - workers at the onset of the pandemic (which received almost instantaneous support from more than 200 individual and five major, corporate donors) and the purchasing and distribution of more than 5000 mobile learning devices to Wits students in largely rural areas who could not afford these devices. We are deeply appreciative of the support received from two major South African philanthropies who assisted to make this project a reality. The Wits100 Campaign plan, with ambitious targets, has guided the South African and international (to date largely in the United States and United Kingdom) fundraising efforts with an emphasis on growing income from existing sources, whilst driving a major focus on securing sizeable gifts from high net worth alumni and other individuals. All cash donations, gifts-in-kind and associated sponsorships received since the beginning of 2018, as well as future pledges of support within the Campaign period, are counted in the campaign income. The Campaign
