Why I support the Jewell Fund
by Dianne Shumaker ’66

A few years ago I received a phone call from a bright and talented William Jewell student who shared her story and the wonderful experiences she was having at Jewell.

Dianne Shumaker ’66 (second from right) with (from left) Carissa Waller ’05,Mark Moberly ’05 and Sarah Burr ’05.

It was clear to me that my alma mater is doing things for students that other places aren’t. She asked if I would make my annual gift to the Jewell Fund. She explained that the Jewell Fund was a powerful component of the College’s budget because it provided a flexible source of annual funding.

The Jewell Fund enables the College to better address its most immediate needs on an annual basis while preserving and protecting the endowment. I made a gift because I realized that I have a role to play in determining whether students like my caller receive scholarship support, better technology, a stronger faculty, etc. I realized that, in many ways Jewell alumni determine whether the value of their own degree is rising or falling.

The following year brought a dramatic change in the College’s traditional stream of unrestricted annual operating funds. The Missouri Baptist Convention’s decision to stop funding the College left me frustrated and a bit troubled. It is clear to me that Jewell is still a necessary and important kind of Christian college. I support our Board of Trustees’ stand for self governance and I am proud of our bold defense of what we have been doing for 156 years.

The reduction of half of our annual fund left me asking the question, “If alumni don’t increase their support for Jewell, who will?” I learned that until recently, only 17 percent of alumni were making an annual gift. Evidently, the alumni giving percentage impacts the U.S. News & World Report rankings and influences corporate and foundation donors in theirgiving.

I felt a calling to help alumni and friends of the College see the benefits of supporting the Jewell Fund (or encouraging the faithful to consider whether now is the time to increase their current level of support). This is the reason my husband, Paul, and I started The Shumaker Challenge, an incentive program for Jewell Fund giving. This challenge program will run for two more years.

The first phase focused on young alumni, and resulted in more than 200 additions to the donor roster over the last six months. We look forward to seeing what the second phase of our challenge will bring. Will you consider what sort of gift you might make to the Jewell Fund each year? It is our best way to protect and grow our alma mater’s endowment while still providing the critical support necessary to see Jewell’s effectiveness and reputation continue to rise. If not us, then who?