We invite you to join the PARENTS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL and start building and enjoying your own relationship with W&L today.
Support from parents goes to work immediately to enhance the W&L experience for all students. These gifts help provide the distinctive opportunities that students and parents expect from W&L and prepare our students to make meaningful impacts on the world. Leadership contributions that support our flexible, unrestricted Parents
Fund/Annual Fund are critical in helping us fund studentcentered programs like the Outing Club, the performing arts, our Leading Edge Pre-Orientation program and many more. These funds also help us address emerging areas of priority like student mental and emotional health.
PARENTS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL LEVELS Circle $25,000 annually Steering Committee $10,000 annually Member $5,000 annually
An additional $184.3 million in unrestricted endowment would be needed to generate the same earnings represented by annual giving each year — $20,704 would be needed to generate the equivalent of a $1,000 Parents Fund gift.
*Numbers based on fiscal year 2022.
Parent donors last year
Annual giving makes up 6% of W&L’s operating budget.
Number of ParentsCouncilLeadershipfamilies
Total raised for the Parents Fund from non-alumni parents in FY22
Parents — current and former non-alumni parents — contribute nearly 16% of W&L’s annual gift total each year.
$1.52m
185
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$1.575m
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Annual giving from parents, alumni and friends provides $4,222 toward the full cost of education for every W&L student.
$5.51m
Number of CommitteeSteeringfamilies
PLC-level gifts make up 80% of the Parents Fund total.
Number of PLC Circle families
Goal for FY23
63
1,524
QUICKFY22FACTS
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Total committed to all funds by non-alumni parents in
11
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We recognize the personal nature of philanthropy, and encourage parents and alumni to support areas of the university that have the most significance to them.
SUPPORT WHAT MATTERS
student opportunities allow us to provide unparalleled academics and student experiences, year after year. Gifts made without a specific designation are vital to W&L and will continue to support the university’s areas of greatest need.
Annual Parents Fund gifts directed to financial aid, academics, the arts, athletics, diversity and inclusion, and
OPPORTUNITIESMEMBERSHIP
Engagement — W&L parents share many things in common, and we’ve come to realize that one of those is a sincere desire to make W&L the best it can be for all students. We value parents’ perspectives on the W&L experience. Throughout the year, parents are invited to a variety of gatherings where they have opportunities to interact with the president, key administrators,
events throughout the year. The PLC offers opportunities to make important connections within the W&L community and to engage more deeply with the school. While the PLC is less focused on committee work than donor recognition, we do recruit volunteers to help us with outreach, regional engagement
Circle • Recognizes annual contributions of $25,000 and above Steering Committee • Recognizes annual contributions of $10,000-24,999 Member • Recognizes annual contributions of $5,000-9,999
The Parents Leadership Council (PLC) is an active and enthusiastic group of generous families who recognize the value of philanthropy in higher education and want to make a difference by demonstrating leadership support of Washington and Lee. Members enjoy unique opportunities and
LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIPPLC
THE PARENTS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
events and philanthropy support. The PLC provides a nice way for parents to build a unique relationship with W&L — a relationship that is separate from their student’s experience and one that can be quite meaningful and special.
faculty and staff. We also look for ways to engage with parents when they are on campus for PLC events, athletics, performances or visiting their W&L student. For PLC Circle and Steering Committee members, these interactions often take the form of individual meetings with administrators, oncampus accommodations, special receptions and more.
Parents and Family Weekend is always a great way to kick off the year and offers a chance for parents to meet and connect with each other. PLC Circle and Steering Committee members also have opportunities to meet with key administrators and staff throughout the weekend.
students to attend W&L, and more. Some PLC members help facilitate philanthropy by working with staff to identify potential new PLC members and encouraging other families to participate.
Events — Parents and Family Weekend (PFW) — In addition to the wide variety of events planned for all families who attend Parents and Family Weekend, PLC members and prospective new members enjoy opportunities to gather at special events throughout the weekend. This includes a special cocktail reception and brief program on Friday evening and a convenient hospitality suite available to members on Friday.
PLC Circle and Steering Committee members are invited to come to campus on Thursday for a special cocktail party followed by the annual PLC Steering Committee meeting the following morning.
Expertise — Our PLC membership is full of accomplished and generous parents, some who want to have a deeper level of engagement with W&L and are willing to share their time and expertise. When opportunities arise, we often look to the PLC to identify parents who would be a good fit for one of our advisory boards, strong additions to our network of alumni and parents who help mentor and advise students through the Office of Career and Professional Development, insightful visiting lecturers and speakers, and more. As we get to know our PLC members, we look for ways to add value to their PLC experience.
Outreach — PLC members are instrumental in helping to foster a warm and welcoming environment for all W&L families. Each year, PLC volunteers make welcome calls to new families, host or attend summer/fall Welcome Receptions, host regional events through the Alumni Admissions Program (AAP) designed to encourage accepted
PLC Weekend — Each spring we invite all PLC members to campus for engaging programs, opportunities to meet and hear from key administrators and faculty, plenty of
time to network and socialize with new friends, and — best of all — a great excuse to come visit their W&L student(s). PLC members look forward to this fun weekend every year!
Ronni Miller Gardner
Director of Parent Giving Office of 540-462-7377DevelopmentMobilergardner@wlu.eduwww.wlu.edu/give
THE PARENTS FUND