Rachel McClurg
Managing Editor
The Butler Foundation, that holds an auction every year in order to raise funds, was first brought about in 1967. The 21st auction was held on Friday, March 2 where around 350 people attended. The 2018 auction brought in $240,000.
“In the past three years, the Butler Benefit Auction has brought in more than $200,000 each time,” Foundation Communications Coordinator Hayley Hobbs said. “This success can be attributed to the strategic direction the event has taken on in the last five years.”
The money raised contributes a lot to covering the cost of the scholarships given away to Butler students every year.
“$2.4 million has been given away over the last five years,” Hobbs said. “Annually, the Foundation gives away around $500,000 in scholarships.”
Overall, the money raised by the Foundation provides scholarships for many students attending Butler, including a new kind of scholarship called Grizzly Success Scholarships.
“The money generated from the Butler Benefit Auction supports the Foundation, enabling us to expand funding sources for the college,” Hobbs said. “Some of the funds raised go toward Grizzly Success Scholarships, a recent initiative from the Foundation Board of Directors to incentivize students who are close to graduation to complete their degree.”
Various donors attend the auction every year. Most of the donors that attend are well known by the foundation and the college. Others who attend might not have a relationship with the foundation but the foundation knows who they are.
“None of the donors attending are anonymous,” Auction Manager Mary Moon said. “Due to the public nature of a fundraising auction, it isn’t the preferred means of making a donation for someone who wishes to remain anonymous.”
There are several ways that the Foundation uses in order to raise sufficient funds every year besides the annual auction.
“Overall, the Foundation raises money through personal asks, direct mail, online fundraising and grant proposals,” Hobbs said. “The Butler Benefit Auction is our only fundraising event during the year. We are fortunate to have many generous donors who care about Butler’s students.”
Aside from the Foundation personnel, there are various volunteers from Butler that play a role in making the auction a reality.
“Some of the ways in which they contribute include donating or acquiring items for the auction, coordinating student involvement, assisting with guest check-in, working in the silent auction and hosting donors,” Moon said.
More information on specific Foundation personnel and directors can be found on the Foundation’s website.
