Students put pen to paper in annual Thank-A-Donor letter project

The art of the handwritten thank-you note is not dead. It’s alive and well and the focus of Chapman University’s annual Thank-A-Donor letter writing project under way on campus today through Thursday, March 13.

“I personally am a scholarship recipient here at chapman and I know most Chapman students are, so to be able to actually go out and write a letter to the donors who made that possible is important,” said Tanu Philip ’16, who helped organize this year’s event, hosted by the Student Philanthropy Initiative.

The three-day event offers students the opportunity to visit tables set up in Attallah Piazza and the Student Union and write a personal note to an alumni donor. Each table is stocked with boxes of pre-addressed and stamped envelopes and blank stationery cards. Students are encouraged to write a brief, personal note about what their scholarship means to them.

“This is a great event for students to share their personal story with donors on how their gift has affected their Chapman experience,” said Jessica Price ’11, alumni engagement manager, who helped launched the first Thank-A-Donor event four years ago while still a student.

Letter writers are also treated to a cookie inscribed with “78 %,” a reminder to students that tuition covers just 78 percent of the cost of attending Chapman. The remainder is made up in donor contributions that allow for scholarships and support to a wide variety of programs.

Senior Rose Fruci wrote a note while helping out at the table in the Student Union. In it she described some of the programs she was involved in and how valuable her scholarship was to her.

Simply put, she wrote: “Without that scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to come to Chapman.”

The Thank-A-Donor tables will be in Attallah Piazza and the Student Union from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Thursday. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.