Campaign Initiatives

Light the World includes four important campaign initiatives. Click on the links below to find out more.

1. $1.5 billion for vital priorities
Light the World will allow the University to expand the endowment for financial aid; to erect new buildings and halls for students; to hire 100 new faculty members; and to expand research initiatives. View the breakdown of priorities.

2. Expanding volunteer service to Boston College
Boston College has always benefited from alumni who are committed to their alma mater. To reach its campaign goals, BC must draw more alumni and parents to volunteer roles that have a tangible impact on the University's advancement.

3. 40,000 alumni giving each and every year
Boston College graduates understand the value of working together. Light the World seeks to inspire record numbers of alumni to give back to the University each year. The campaign's goal is 40,000 annual donors and a participation rate of at least 35 percent.

4. Providing for future generations
To ensure that Boston College is prepared for future growth, the campaign strives to secure legacy gifts from 5,000 alumni, parents, and friends.

 

$1.5 billion for vital priorities

Light the World is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the history of Jesuit, Catholic education—in terms of both its financial goal and the impact that support will have on the University’s future.

In many ways, the campaign is an investment in the Boston College student experience, allowing the University to expand its endowment for financial aid; to erect new classroom buildings, residence halls, and other facilities; and to establish new structures that will benefit undergraduates, such as an Institute for Liberal Arts and a Center for Student Formation, among others.

Light the World will also enable the University to hire 100 new faculty members; to expand research initiatives, especially those that seek interdisciplinary solutions to pressing societal needs; and to become the worldwide leader in Catholic higher education. Boston College’s new School of Theology and Ministry, launched in June, is one of many steps toward the fulfillment of this goal.

 

Expanding volunteer service to Boston College

Boston College has always benefited from alumni who have remained committed to the Heights long after graduation. However, to achieve its lofty goals, BC must draw more of its alumni and parents to volunteer roles that have a tangible impact on the University’s advancement.

There are opportunities to provide networking connections for students and recent graduates, to host faculty and Jesuits at events nationwide, to plan reunions and alumni chapter gatherings, and to support the ministry of Boston College.

By playing an important role in these areas, among others, alumni and parents continue the service tradition of Boston College and ensure its success well into the future.

 

40,000 Alumni Giving Each and Every Year

Boston College graduates understand the strength in numbers. From freshman convocation to commencement day and from football games to reunions, BC alumni wear their maroon and gold on their sleeves. To be successful, Light the World seeks to utilize this power and to inspire record numbers of alumni to give back to the University each year. The campaign’s specific goal is 40,000 annual donors and a participation rate of at least 35 percent.

While this goal may seem ambitious, it remains within reach, especially when alumni consider the positive impact each and every gift has upon BC’s mission. In fact, gifts of $100 or less last year totaled $1.8 million. Nicole DeBlois ’99, cochair of the Maroon and GOLD initiative for graduates of the last decade, is one of many young alums who give annually, and she encourages others to do the same. “To compete effectively, to serve society, to support the work of its faculty and students, Boston College must draw on the collective power of all of our gifts—the resources, energy, and confidence we provide cannot be overstated,” she says.

 

Providing for Future Generations

While current investments are critical to the University’s success in the coming decade, it is no less important to guarantee BC’s wider future. Therefore, the fourth campaign initiative is to secure from 5,000 Boston College alumni, parents, and friends a legacy gift for the University. These gifts ensure that Boston College will be prepared for future growth and allow alumni to create a meaningful and permanent connection to BC. Among the many who have already taken up the challenge are Dave ’68 and Janet Griffith, who view their bequest intention as “our message to future generations of BC students; our way of ensuring that what we care about will be passed on.”