|
|
|
|
|
IU Foundation to rededicate its home Friday
Oct. 18, 2000
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Foundation will rededicate its headquarters building in Bloomington on Friday (Oct. 20) in a ceremony at 1:30 p.m.
Showalter House, located on the Indiana 45/46 bypass, has been more than doubled in size in order to accommodate an organization that has expanded in size and scope over the last quarter-century.
The building, built in 1974, was named in honor of Grace Montgomery Showalter, the first woman elected to the foundation's board of directors, who served for 23 years. Showalter also was a generous benefactor to IU. Among her many gifts were Showalter Fountain -- a familiar campus landmark in front of the IU Auditorium -- and funding for Showalter House.
Twenty-six years ago, when the IU Foundation moved into Showalter House, annual contributions totaled $8 million. As fund-raising programs and services were added in the intervening years, contributions increased more than 10-fold to $109.1 million in the 2000 fiscal year.
The number of gifts received annually has grown from 15,000 to more than 130,000. The number of donors now exceeds 100,000.
"Two or three people used to enter gift records on index cards," said Curt Simic, IU Foundation president. "Now 10 people work full time, entering gifts in an electronic database."
Other programs and services were added, including Telefund, donor recognition societies, an office in Indianapolis, publications, events, research resources and an internal auditor. Specialists in planned, major, and annual giving joined the staff. Multiple and simultaneous fund-raising campaigns took the place of periodic campaigns. Computers, fax machines and photocopiers replaced typewriters and carbon paper.
Total invested assets grew from $18 million in 1974 to more than $1 billion today. Legal, tax and human resources requirements grew.
"For all these reasons," Simic said, "our programs began to outgrow our space. Eventually, we had staff located at six sites in Bloomington, so our board directed us in 1997 to begin planning for an expansion."
The new building is slightly more than twice its original size. "The use of local limestone and the look of the building are designed to bring it into harmony with the architecture of the campus," Simic said. "The additional space enables us to bring most of our Bloomington staff back together, which makes us more efficient and effective in our operations."
The IU Foundation was established in 1936 to provide funding from the private sector for IU. The foundation raises funds, manages the endowment and other assets, and provides administrative and stewardship services. It has offices in Bloomington and Indianapolis.
(Barbara Coffman, IUF, 812-855-1422, coffman@indiana.edu or George Vlahakis, OCM, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)