Executive Director of the Jefferson Trust, Wayne Cozart, presented an overview of The Jefferson Trust as a successful donor-directed philanthropy at the regional advancement conference CASE III in Atlanta, Georgia this month. Mr. Cozart discussed the success of the Trust as a means of actively involving alumni and parent donors in the ongoing life of the University of Virginia. He spoke about how an endowment like the Jefferson Trust, built on gifts by alumni, parents, and friends, can provide unrestricted dollar support to various areas of the University. He shared that the Trust not only provides opportunities for donors to support the University, but also for those donors to be active in choosing which new grants receive funding each year. This concept is new to higher education and creates an actively involved volunteer group who provide financial support to the University while becoming more personally involved in the active life of the institution. Several individuals attending the presentation expressed interest in starting a similar program at their institution.
A donor-led initiative of the UVA Alumni Association