News Feature

Annual Giving: Columbia Calling

August 14, 2007

A film studies major (“So I could catch up on the R–rated movies my mother never let me watch”), Christin Leigh Moné ’07CC wrote her senior thesis on how Breakfast at Tiffany’s not only reflected but influenced changing gender roles during the early 1960s. A year–round caller for the College Fund since she was a freshman, Moné says, “I’m on the phone all day, but I have trouble finding time to call my friends back!” She enjoys spreading the word to alumni about the importance of current–use annual fund gifts in strengthening financial aid, academic programs such as the Core Curriculum, and the overall student experience. With no small thanks to Moné and callers like her, College Fund giving from alumni grew by 38 percent from 2002 to 2006—putting the $85 million annual fund goal for 2004 to 2011 well within reach. Here Moné reflects on her college years and what she has learned from all those chats with alumni.

Why did you decide to become an annual fund caller?
A friend found a flyer about the job and I thought it would be nice to help fundraise since I benefit so much from those very funds. She stayed for four weeks. I stayed for four years.

What has made you keep this job for so long?
I’ve had some wonderful conversations with Columbians. They have felt free to ask me about my college experience, while I get the opportunity to ask for career advice and to see just where a Columbia education can take you. I once talked to a woman who told me how much she loved her new nonprofit job even though it paid much, much less than the corporate job she had just left. She said it took her too many years to finally do what she loved and that I shouldn’t wait to go after what I want, no matter how hard or how monetarily unprofitable it might be. That’s an important thing for a film student to hear.

I also work for the annual fund because, if it weren’t for the significant financial aid that I receive—that others like me receive—we could never have come to Columbia. Even so, there have been times when I’ve had to choose between books and food—that should never happen to any student.

Lots of students have been calling for reform of financial aid on campus. It’s great that now people with household incomes under $50,000 have had their loans replaced with grants. Other ideas that would greatly help a lot of students include having Columbia convert loans into grants for students who work for nonprofits and the public sector after graduation, increase subsidized summer housing so that students can pursue the great internship and job opportunities available in New York City, expand work–study, and provide a book stipend for students whose parents make less than $45,000 a year. I hope to see some of the people who are pushing for these reforms come help us call our alums to get the message out and raise the money that we need to make these changes.

What issues and ideas seem to resonate most with donors?
Most are happy to support the future generation with donations that they know are going to help in large part with financial aid.

What has most surprised you about alumni?
How different their attitudes about the University and about giving can be! Some people can’t wait to get off the phone and can be quite vicious—for instance, they’re angry that their children weren’t accepted or they’re upset about old campus politics. Others are so generous—not just with their money, but with their time, advice, and support.

What has been the best part of your Columbia experience?
The amazing friends I’ve made from across the country, friends I would never have met anywhere else. I was lucky enough to grow up in a diverse environment, in Greenburgh, New York. But at Columbia, I now have friends who were the only person of color in their whole school and I can learn a lot from their experiences. And I get to hear about what life is like in other parts of the country. But it’s more than just meeting fellow undergraduates—it’s also about meeting professors, graduate students, visiting speakers, and alumni. Meeting alumni at some of the school functions has shown me that once a Columbian, always a Columbian.

While I was going through the Core Curriculum, I didn’t always appreciate it. But looking back as a college senior, I now realize that I learned so much and was exposed to such great professors. I’m so glad to have that academic foundation. And I’m grateful for the valuable internships I’ve had, like the one I had last fall in production at ABC’s soap opera One Life to Live.

What are your future plans?
I’d like to work in a film production company or at a TV network, like ABC or NBC. They both produce such creative shows and I’d love to be a part of that. Ultimately, I’d like to become a producer. My background in fundraising has certainly helped prepare me for that!