Graduating students give back to St John’s in fundraising campaign

More than half of all graduands participated in this year’s Go Forward, Give Back fundraising campaign in order to unlock thousands of pounds to support future undergraduates.

Students were asked to donate what they could – even as little as £1 – to help future generations of St John’s students.

A £25,000 ‘challenge gift’, offered by donor Nick Corfield, who graduated in 1981, was available to unlock if at least 50% of graduands participated in the initiative, with the funds to be used to establish the 2015 Leavers’ Awards to provide extra financial support for those coming to study at St John’s in October.

The Go Forward, Give Back campaign, organised by the Development Office in collaboration with the JCR, ran for the first time last year, and thanks to the generosity of the 2014 graduands – 43% participated with a target of just 25%, unlocking the £25,000 gift – Nick Corfield decided to offer the same opportunity to the 2015 finalists. This year, for every 10% of graduating Johnians supporting the College, £3,000 would be unlocked, with the release of an additional £10,000 if more than half of all finalists participated. An overwhelming 51% of all graduands took part, allowing the full £25,000 to be unlocked. Funds will be distributed to future undergraduates who will benefit from additional financial support, and money raised by the graduands themselves will provide extra support to areas of College life of their choosing, such as student support, clubs and societies, outreach, or teaching.

“I’m delighted to say that this year’s Go Forward, Give Back campaign was an unprecedented success,” said Will Evans, Annual Giving Office at St John’s College. “A total of 85 Johnians gave to the campaign, accounting for an incredible 51% of all graduands. As a result, the College has since received the full £25,000 challenge gift offered by Nick Corfield. This would not have been possible without everyone’s support, so thank you!”

As well as raising the level of financial support available to the next intake of students, the campaign aims to increase student awareness of the importance of the role of philanthropy in the education they receive. Each undergraduate’s tuition fees are subsidised to approximately £8,000 per year, and many of the new projects, initiatives and major improvements to the College are only possible due to the generosity of Johnians.

To read more about fundraising at St John’s and how the College spends the money it raises, visit the Giving section on the Johnian website.