Fall 2024 Student Advancement Officers in the Advancement division at 105 Chase Ave.
Of the many jobs available to students on campus, there is just one that asks students to reach out to alumni and reconnect them to Kenyon. Yet in what could be a daunting task, the Student Advancement Officers (mostly) enjoy the opportunity to talk to alumni about the Kenyon they remember, while also educating campus about the role of Kenyon’s annual funds.
“I enjoy hearing about how much Kenyon changed and how their experiences compare to mine,” said Yaell Urrunaga Adrianzen ’27, an international studies major from Denver.
Formerly known as Phonathon workers, the job description and title were updated this academic year to better reflect the breadth of their efforts. “We could almost call them ambassadors,” said Molly Gutridge ’99, director of annual giving. “For a generation not known for their love of phone calls, they do a remarkable job engaging with alumni and encouraging them to support our alma mater.”
Aishik Biswas ’27, an economics and math major from Kolkata, India, sees the role as a good way to network. “I enjoy getting the opportunity to find and learn about shared experiences in Gambier and how alumni have been able to leverage their Kenyon education for life after college,” he said.
The role allows students to hone many resume building skills as well, including communication and interpersonal skills.
Emily Vonck, assistant director of student and young alumni giving, supervises the group of 15. “I am consistently blown away by their creativity and how seriously they take their responsibilities,” she said.
“Fundraising has such a critical role at Kenyon, with the gifts these students help secure for the Kenyon Fund supporting every aspect of their experience here. They are not shy about advocating for Kenyon or answering questions they get from alumni.”
The students will play a prominent role in the upcoming giving challenge, called Kenyon Together, taking place April 8-9. Beyond recording videos to spread the word, they’ll be actively calling and texting alumni and parents to encourage them to join the effort, which has a goal of inviting gifts from 1,000 or more people. (During the full nine-year length of the recently concluded campaign, 12,272 alumni made gifts.)
“Since Kenyon was founded, now more than 200 years ago, philanthropy has been a vital part of the Kenyon story,” said Gutridge. “We’re thrilled to have such dedicated students taking up the charge today and helping their peers understand that their sports, scholarships and seminars — none of that happens without generosity.”
Since the start of work in the fall semester through mid-March, the Student Advancement Officers combined to send 9,041 texts, place 6,637 calls and secure 128 pledges for gifts, with nearly 200 gifts made and more than $30,000 raised.
Not all calls meet with success, of course. Sam Morris ’25, an English major from Cleveland, has a realist’s answer to his favorite thing about talking to alumni: “When they don’t hang up on me!”
On the other side, Madeline Ha ’28, who is pursuing economics and math, has enjoyed the challenge of finding common experiences with alumni across the decades. She was thrilled to recently prompt not one, but two different gifts for the Kenyon Fund of $500. “I really enjoy talking to alumni, as I can learn a lot from them,” she said.
“They make me fall more in love with Kenyon.”