Milestone Reached: BYU ranks among top in employee giving
March 8, 2010
One Brigham Young University employee says she will probably never be able to give a million dollars to the university, but she feels her donations make a difference.
Cindy Swenson, who works in the Student Academic and Advisement Services Office, is representative of the nearly 4,100 full-time employees invited each spring to donate to BYU. And last year she was part of the 72 percent of employees who chose to give to the university that employs them—BYU’s highest percentage of employee giving in the past 10 years.
“I have been blessed through my associations with BYU, and I know that added together, many contributions make a big difference,” says Swenson.
Because of the generosity of its employees and the university’s consistent and concerted efforts, BYU ranks among the nation’s leading universities for employee giving.
As with all who donate to BYU, those employees who give are able to designate the priorities and projects their donations will support. Last year this resulted in more than 300 different accounts receiving employee donations. Beneficiaries included scholarships in every college, college and department funds, the Harold B. Lee Library, and BYU Broadcasting.
Giving at the office
For Swenson, March will mark 20 years of employment at BYU. “The university has been a constant source of good in my life,” she says. “When I came back to work in 1993, my supervisor invited me to contribute to the university. It felt wonderful to give back, even though my initial contributions were small.”
Later as an administrative assistant to Ford Stevenson, who has since retired, Swenson became more involved. “Ford inspired many of us to give; his grateful attitude was contagious,” she says.
Today Swenson invites fellow employees to give. She says: “Looking into coworkers’ eyes and seeing their commitment, hearing of scholarships that have blessed the lives of students, and watching the growth of this beautiful campus have deepened my commitment to BYU. Whatever small role I play, I am grateful to be able to give back.”
This year’s employee giving drive began on March 1. Employees can learn more and donate online at give.byu.edu/employeegiving.
