MER-13565 COVER 2011.indd - Merton College - University of Oxford

effi cient Alumni Relations Manager, who
organises them all, in conjunction with the
Merton Society, MC3 and the individual
committees.
Publications too have increased this year,
as Matt Bowdler, formerly our Development
Assistant, has become Publications and
Web Offi cer. He now looks after the Merton
website, and all our alumni publications,
which includes the role of liaising with the
Year Reps for their vital contributions to
Postmaster. Mertonians are keen to know
more about how the fi nances of the College
work, and precisely how their donations
are used and so we have produced the
fi rst Merton Donor Report. We have also
received excellent feedback on the enhanced
Newsletter. Because Matt has altered his
role, Sarah-Louise Hood joined the team in
January and is already giving much support
to us all as Development Assistant. Another
member of the team is Rob Moss, who
looks after the database and is managing
the transfer of alumni data to DARS, the
University of Oxford’s Development and
Alumni Relations Database. For some time
now Mertonians have been asking us for
an online networking function, which the
DARS system will provide.
Alongside Merton events and
publications, we have continued with the
Annual Fund, which is such a welcome
addition to the annual Merton Budget. Each
year the Annual Fund, made up of gifts
below £25,000 and raising approximately
£800,000 of donations per year, adds huge
value to the College. Since the beginning
of the quiet phase of the 750th Anniversary
Campaign Sustaining Excellence, in
August 2007, until the public launch
of the Campaign in May 2011, Merton
Annual Fund monies have brought in some
£3 million or about 19% of the total. This
unprecedented level of support, given
by hundreds of donors world-wide, has
allowed us to continue to fund a number of
areas of College life which directly benefi t
current undergraduates and graduates, and
it has had a real impact on many aspects of
our activities.
Not all of the money allocated last year
for student support, (around £650,000)
came from the Annual Fund. The
College has, over the centuries, received
benefactions in support of students in
fi nancial need, and we have also had several
major gifts for student support over the
last few years, some to fund the ever more
important Graduate Scholarships. But the
DEVELOPMENT
POSTMASTER | 2011
NEWS
Annual Fund is a very important element
of the College’s fundraising – we welcome
participation at any level, whether a one-off
or regular gift, big or small – every gift is
signifi cant. Within the Development Offi ce,
it is Daphne O’Connell who runs, with great
effi ciency and charisma, the Annual Fund
and, as part of that, the annual Telephone
Campaign. Indeed the Telethon, in which
current students engage with alumni, has
been very effective, not only in raising
regular income, but also as a means of
exchanging news and feedback on College
events and publications. The students much
enjoy speaking to Mertonians of all ages and
hearing about how life was at the College
during their time. This year, for the fi rst
ALUMNI AND MEMBERS OF THE CHOIR ENJOYING THE MC3 DINNER IN PHILADELPHIA
31