February 2007

Dear Classmates,

It probably seems as though you just heard from me the other day, but believe me, it’s been months! Our class is doing well with our Annual Fund results to date. We are just past the halfway point to our goals of $65,000 and 50% class participation. Of course, the Annual Fund effort is a just past halfway, so I cannot boast that we are ahead of schedule. However, more importantly, I can boast that we are ahead of where we were at this time last year, and the year before, too.

The single most important thing you can do today for our college, hands down, is support the Annual Fund. Your gift ensures that students have the resources to tangibly change lives – both in Saratoga and across the globe.

And if you’re still not sure about all this, consider your gift to be a prudent investment. Skidmore recently was ranked 4th in US News 2007 rankings of Great Schools at Great Prices, along with Williams, Amherst, and Wellesley. This takes into account factors like the overall score in the America’s Best Colleges 2007 survey, the average need-based grant to undergraduates, and the percentage of undergraduates receiving need-based aid. This follows on the heels of Skidmore’s “great academics” and “first rate faculty” earning us a spot on the Newsweek/Kaplan “25 New Ivies” list earlier this year.

You may have gotten a call from a Skidmore student this past fall. And you may have made a pledge to the Annual Fund as a result of that call. If so, thank you very much on behalf of our class and the entire Skidmore community, past, present, and future. If you have not yet had a chance to make a gift, the Student Calling Program is starting up again in a few weeks, and you just might get another call, or you may even hear from me directly. I hope that when you do, you will be able to commit a bit of support to Skidmore’s bright future. As bright as that future is, Skidmore still needs us and the Annual Fund to make it happen. When you get that call – or even better, in response to this letter – please give some serious thought to what you can do to ensure that future.

The impact of your dollar has never been more evident at Skidmore than today. And, if you make your
gift now, you get the extra benefit of saving our alma mater additional resources because you won’t get fundraising mail or calls for the rest of the year! Of course, the downside is that you won’t get any more appeal letters from me, just a heartfelt thank you!

Please, make your gift now by returning the enclosed card, or go to www.skidmore.edu/makeagift or call (800) 584-0115. Thank you, very much, on behalf of our class and the entire Skidmore community, past present and future.

Sincerely,

Steffenie

Steffenie Oliver Kirkpatrick
Class of 1974 Fund Chair

P.S. Your gift might be bigger than you think! Check to see if your employer has a matching gift program at: www.matchinggifts.com/skidmore.