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November 2007
TelALutes and Q-Club
Four nights a week, the TelALutes meet in the basement of the Nesvig Alumni House for some ‘friend-raising’ and ‘fund-raising.’ These 14 students make 15,000 calls a year to update alumni, parents and friends of Pacific Lutheran University about what’s new and exciting on campus and to ask for financial support through Q Club. Q Club funds support all aspects of the PLU education. “Tuition pays for 77% of the cost of a PLU education, the remaining is made possible by the generosity of alumni, parents and friends,” commented Laura Rose, Associate Director of Annual Funds-Programming. Q Club members are those who give unrestricted gifts of $500 or more in a year; despite the size of the gift all Q Club donors have a say in what their gift supports. Student scholarships, academic excellence, campus life, and area of greatest need are the four pillars of the quality education that the Q in Q Club stands for. These pillars give donors the ability to make a difference in the part of PLU that means the most to them.
Each year TelALutes help to raise a portion of the 2 million of the 4 million dollars that is given out each year in Q Club student scholarships. This year the TelALute office received a new automated telephone system so that each TelALute has all the information they need about the university at their fingertips! In addition, each week Tel-a-Lutes have speakers from different offices across campus so that they stay updated and keep learning more about PLU. Tel-a-Lutes spread the message that it’s not what you give, it’s that you give! When asking for grants and matching funds, corporations and foundations want to see that the people closest to the university are donors. With alumni giving at a percentage lower than it can be, TelALutes urge those they call to help PLU by being a part of increasing that percentage, not to give millions of dollars.
TelALutes realize that importance of their job. Many of these students are at PLU because of Q Club scholarships they are receiving, like Kelly Ryan, new to the TelALute team this year, “My brother and I both attend PLU and there’s no way we could be here without support from our Q Club scholarships from friends of the university that give to PLU.” Courtney Stringer just started her fourth year as a TelALute. After spending a semester studying in China, Courtney toyed with the idea of not coming back to be a TelALute. “I suppose it’s a testament to how much I love doing my job that I came back from China not planning to continue as a TelALute, but my PLU experience just didn’t feel complete without it! I work with some amazing students, we are a close-knit group and we all love what we do.”
With twice as many parent donors this past year as compared to the year before, the TelaALutes are making strides and enjoying more conversations with parents and friends to the university, not just alumni. Visit TelALutes and Q Club on the PLU website for more information!
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