Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: The paths of the Endowment UC Project to achieve the goal of US $ 50 million by 2023
With a view to this objective, efforts to strengthen the initiative aim not only to attract donations, but also to sensitize the UC community, including graduates, regarding the importance of the instrument as a mechanism for inclusion and promotion of the country’s development.
To date, more than 300 people have joined, 90% of whom are former students who are mainly between 31 and 45 years old.
US $ 50 million. That is the figure that the Endowment UC aspires to reach, a reserve fund aimed at providing funding for scholarships, research and academic development, thus allowing the work of the university to expand, safeguarding its sustainability. This is expressed in the Development Plan 2020 – 2025 .
“We have strengthened the measures to establish a patrimonial fund or Endowment, which allows us to look at the development of the institution in the long term. This is a project for the present and for the future, vital for institutional development ”. To this end, numerous actions are being carried out to involve the university community around the initiative, inviting it to collaborate in different ways. “We managed to exceed the goal of US $ 30 million initially proposed. After that, the rector presented us with the challenge of reaching US $ 50 million by 2023 and that is what we are working on, ” the pro-rector of Institutional Management, Patricio Donoso , recently told the newspaper La Tercera.. In line with the fundamentals of this type of financial vehicle, the pro-rector explained that the fund, for the moment, is being capitalized, and only in 2022 will it be evaluated whether they will begin to use resources from their income.
Mónica Arellano, Director of Projects and Philanthropy –area in charge of managing the initiative- adds that awareness about it is also part of the short and long-term perspective: “It is key to convey the relevance and meaning of the UC Endowment as a means to promote inclusion, to strengthen research that will benefit an entire country, and in that sense we want to have the support of those who are part of the UC ”. One of the central actions in this direction aims to inform, given that in general this type of instrument is little known among the Chilean population. That is what, for example, an animated video that explains in a simple and clear way what it consists of is aimed at.
“It is key to convey the relevance and meaning of the UC Endowment as a means to promote inclusion, to strengthen research that will benefit an entire country, and in that sense we want to have the support of those who are part of UC” – Mónica Arellano , Director of Projects and Philanthropy UC.
Alumni and alumni, fundamental actors
To date, more than 300 people have joined ( see more here ), 90% of whom are former students who are mainly between 31 and 45 years old. On the other hand, 28% of the contributors work at the university, and 49% of the people who respond to the massive campaigns with contributions want to use them for scholarships. “Currently, donors are concentrated in a small group of careers, and our challenge is to broaden the spectrum and reach all alumni,” says Mónica Arellano.
Awareness raising and raising of resources are done through various means, such as communication campaigns through mailings to former students mainly, and social networks.
During the first semester, the focus of the outreach is to make the university community more familiar with the initiative, as well as to share testimonies from young donors. This will be complemented by the stories of scholarship recipients who are making notable contributions to the country today.
Another way to expand the fund is through the Endowment UC Chairs. These consist of the donation of a company or person to support the development of a specific topic of interest to society. Currently, the Antofagasta Minerals Water Sustainability Chair is already underway, a company that contributed US $ 1.5 million.