UW News

January 18, 2012

Thanks, all — Combined Fund Drive breaks record for 2011

UW News

The UW Combined Fund Drive broke its own record and met its goal in 2011, raising $2,066,131 in donations for about 1,500 charities in the Pacific Northwest and worldwide.

A puppy meets his public at the Combined Fund Drive's Puppy Fest, Oct. 31, 2011. Representatives Summit Assistance Dogs of Anacortes, Wash., a CFD choice, showed their work and their dogs at the UW's Roosevelt Commons.

Peter Kelley

The Combined Fund Drive, or CFD, is Washington states employee giving campaign, and offers a range of about 3,400 charitable agencies UW faculty and staff may choose to support. The drive ran from Oct. 12 to Dec. 9, 2011, including a one-week extension.

“The UW communitys generosity is greatly appreciated,” said Kerri Everly, development services officer and manager of the Combined Fund Drive, or CFD. “These donations will make all the difference for so many nonprofit organizations and those they serve.”

Everly said the UW Foundation and its programs were the top recipient of UW-related donations this year, with Northwest Harvest coming in second and the Friends of the CFD, a general fund, third.

During the campaign, a campuswide coin drive raised $2,855 for PAWS.  Mindy Kornberg, vice president for human resources, organized a drive that collected 2,019 pairs of shoes for the Seattle-based nonprofit Redeeming Soles to distribute to those in need.

Everly said the drive succeeds because of the hard work of more than 300 volunteer campaign coordinators, who organized charity presentations, fundraisers and other activities during the campaign. Among these is Katherine Fortenbacher, who said she believes the CFD  brings a sense of community to the university.

“The UW is such a large place and spread all over the world, its nice to know we can come together not only as faculty and staff, but as human beings, to help make a difference in peoples lives.”

Learn more about the UW CFD and the agencies it helps support, or make a donation, online.