DREAM’s 2003 Annual Appeal was a great success. Conducted from late November through the end of December, DREAM ran separate campaigns with its alumni and all other donors. Both groups had fantastic results, raising a total of over $35,000! DREAM is extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful group of supporters. The support that they show gives us the confidence to do our work every day.

Alumni Appeal: The Alumni Appeal aimed to raise funds for our Alumni Organization, which is building an endowment and provides grants each year for the various local programs and the central office. This year, the goal was to raise $6,500. When all was said and done, the group raised more than $8,600—an astounding accomplishment for such a young group of donors.One unique feature of this year’s Alumni Appeal is that it was conducted almost entirely online. Only the thank you notes were printed in hardcopy! Conducting everything online saved a lot of money in printing and mailing costs, while also saving a lot of time and effort to track down our overly mobile young alumni. The online fundraising also allowed many more alumni to get involved in the process, sending personal emails to their friends and classmates. The entire appeal was run through the existing Alumni Organization infrastructure, using class representatives and other leadership to spearhead the effort.

General Appeal: The General Appeal, which supports general operations of The DREAM Program, Inc., was conducted in a more traditional manner than the Alumni Appeal, but it was no less successful. DREAM set an ambitious goal of $20,000 (the 2002 goal had been $6,000), and incredibly has ended the campaign with close to $27,000. This result helps to put the organization on solid financial footing as it faces the challenges of the coming year.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s appeal!