How Small Dollar Donations Make a Critical Difference for Scientists and Students at W&M’s VIMS & Batten School
Every penny counts.
It’s a common enough phrase, but in a world where large, multi-million-dollar donations make headlines, the impact of giving $500, $100 or even $25 can be overshadowed. However, at William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten School, faculty, staff and students all agree on one thing: a little goes a long way.
“Every amount makes a difference,” said Jill Pongonis, assistant director of donor relations and stewardship. “Whether it's to a specific cause or the greater good, every amount adds up.”
Individual gifts of less than $1,000 are critical to sustaining vital research at VIMS & the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences. Matt McCormick, a current Ph.D. student, attests to the importance of these donations, explaining how small dollar gifts were able to assist in funding his research.
“Small dollar donations have helped fund things that aren’t line items on the big, major grants,” McCormick said. “For example, a lot of my work is completed on Virginia’s barrier islands. The cost of renting a boat, collecting data and even travel to and from the VIMS Eastern Shore Lab has all been funded through small dollar donations.”
As someone who has benefitted from the collective power of small dollar donations, McCormick took it upon himself to pay it forward by making his own donation to VIMS & the Batten School during W&M’s most recent annual giving event, One Tribe One Day.
“I was happy to give to VIMS & the Batten School because, even though I was only able to contribute a very small amount, in this current federal climate every dollar is needed to further our science,” McCormick explained.
Small dollar donations not only have the power to assist with student research but can also impact ongoing restoration projects. Grace Rigby ’16 has given to VIMS & the Batten School in each of the past eight years. A biology major who went on to Yale Divinity School and now works as a chaplain, Rigby says her support is rooted in a longstanding connection with the institution.
“I grew up going to VIMS,” she said. “We would visit my grandparents in Gloucester every summer and attend Marine Science Day. Getting to see oyster restoration firsthand and learning about their impact on the Bay made it sink in how important it is to support ongoing research.”
Soon after graduating from William & Mary, Rigby began supporting oyster restoration research by setting up an automatic payment of $25 every quarter. She noted how the ease of the recurring payments aligned with her and her husband’s lifestyle and made their avenue to philanthropy simpler.
“I really like that [the payment withdrawal] is automatic,” she said. “Being a millennial, things that are automatic are great, because I don't have to worry about them. As my husband and I become more established, we hope to give more in the future.”
From research to restoration, philanthropic gifts support the scientific community of VIMS & the Batten School in a variety of ways. However, Ellen Leverich, executive director of advancement and the VIMS Foundation, believes their true value is found in what these gifts represent: “A growing movement of support for science-based solutions to some of our coasts’ most pressing challenges.”
“Gifts to VIMS & the Batten School are about more than fundraising,” she said. “They invest in research that keeps our waters and coastal communities resilient in the face of environmental change. They support the education of undergraduate and graduate students who will become the leaders tackling the social, economic and environmental complexities of the future.”
Leverich encourages those looking to make an initial gift to VIMS & the Batten School by stating that “there is no wrong time to make a first gift.” Leverich sites the VIMS Impact Fund as an accessible avenue for new donors to make their first donation, which aids in bridging gaps in program funding, launching new programs and supporting startup research, along with other services.
“Every gift is a vote of confidence in the future,” she said. “Even a modest gift can have a meaningful effect, enabling our scientists, students and leaders to respond quickly and effectively when opportunities or challenges arise.”
Gifts are not the only way that supporters of VIMS & the Batten School can contribute, according to Pongonis. “If someone can’t give a lot, or give at all, there are so many other ways to help advance our mission,” she said. “We’re always looking for volunteers at events and outreach programs, and advocates who are simply willing to share the important work that happens here within their networks.”
It's that sense of collective action — supporters who contribute time, talent and treasure, each as they are able — that creates the unique community at VIMS & the Batten School and makes a difference for scientists, students and all who live in coastal communities in Virginia and beyond.
“Whether it's a large amount or a small amount, it goes a long way,” affirmed Rigby. “I'm just really proud to be an alumna of a school that values and is a leader in caring for the environment."
If you’d like to make a gift to VIMS & the Batten School, visit vims.edu/giving.