Posted by Seattle University Alumni Association on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 11:00 AM PDT

With just a few weeks left until the close of The Campaign for the Uncommon Good, Seattle University’s largest comprehensive campaign ever, we are excited to share that we have raised over $293 million, far surpassing our $275 million goal. Seattle U alumni have played a crucial role—46 percent of all donors to the campaign are alumni.

The Alumni Campaign Task Force was charged with engaging alumni in the campaign, not only through giving, but through volunteerism, event attendance and more. Led by task force co-chairs Chris Canlas, ’00, and Rob Nielsen, ’07, the task force made significant contributions including creating systems that helped the university to more easily bring alumni into the life of the university.

When the campaign went public in 2019, they proactively invited alumni into programs like Seattle U Gives, our annual day of giving, and Our Moment for Mission: The President’s Challenge (OMFM). Through OMFM, President Stephen Sundborg, S.J., challenged 10,000 alumni to connect, volunteer and give to the university by June 30, 2021. With data still coming in, 9,397 alumni have answered the call, surpassing our previous high by 34 percent.

Both Rob and Chris are excited about the success of the task force and Seattle University Alumni Association in engaging more alumni than ever before—as well as the diversity and quality of programs available for our alumni. “I could not have imagined the great ways that our alumni relations would improve since I joined the task force in 2015. We have more ways to get involved than we ever had and we can meet more alumni ‘where they’re at’ to find opportunities to participate and give back to SU,” shared Rob.

Chris agreed, noting that, “We often feel that our alma mater only reaches out when they are engaged in fundraising. However, in the past few years, Seattle U has new found ways to involve its alumni population in more meaningful and relational ways, and less transactional.”

As they look forward to the future of Seattle U, Chris and Rob invite alumni to come back to campus, get involved and put Seattle U Gives on your calendar (February 24, 2022). “Participate!” invites Rob. “Your alma mater wants to better serve and connect with you and would love to find a way to put your skills, talents, and expertise to better use through service.”

One way to connect soon is to celebrate the successful close of the campaign by viewing the campaign feature on Tuesday, June 29. Visit the campaign website on June 29 for more details.