The Alumni Fund Drive
The Alumni Fund Drive (AFD) is an integral part of the College’s Annual Fund scheme. It is the annual fundraising effort by alumni volunteers — the class agents — who represent their class, fostering community building among classmates and with the School and encouraging classmates’ giving in support of the Annual Fund.
For more than fifty years, Athens College alumni have helped sustain the College experience for all students.
The AFD was established in 1967 at the initiative of visionaries Platon Mousaios ’30 (Athens College - Hellenic-American Educational Foundation / HAEF) and Dimitris Karamanos ’59 (Athens College Alumni Association SAKA President), supported by then Athens College President James H. Beaverson. The aim was to motivate alumni to support the College’s Scholarship Program in an organized and sustainable way. The AFD launched its activity in 1968 with Angelos Canellopoulos x50 as its first President. In the years that followed this pioneer initiative came to be one of the most significant institutions of the College.
The Alumni Fund Drive, alongside other volunteer groups — the Parents Fund Drive and Alumni Parents Fund Drive — are among the leading fundraising volunteer communities of their kind in the country.
The groups fold within the Athens College Development Office operations and have a threefold aim: to cultivate a culture of philanthropy, safeguarding the College’s vision, mission, values and tradition; to enhance relations among the thousands of Athens College community members and with the School, and; to motivate support of the Annual Fund and our students with a view to fostering balanced excellence and building a more diverse community of learners. Individually or jointly, the Fund Drives design and implement actions and special events throughout the year to serve their aim.
AFD and the Development Office work closely with
the Athens College Alumni Association (SAKA) to keep in contact with the broad
AC alumni base. In so doing, they enrich
AFD representation of the classes, and motivate our alumni to engage with the
School by participating in events and activities, as well as supporting their
multifaceted work.
Head: Dimitris Vamvakopoulos ’64,
supported by adviser Stelios Chartzidis ’93
Members: Class agents (264 representing 66 classes)
Main actions in support of the Annual Fund:
- Communicate with classmates (email, social media, calls, in person)
- Motivate and/or organize class reunions
- Coordinate milestone class reunions (25 years, 50 years from graduation)
- Disseminate Annual Fund appeals