Sterling Fellow Inspires Young Alumni with Fifth Reunion Challenge

Frederick Frank ’54 has issued a challenge to fifth-year reunion classes. If these young alumni reach their Alumni Fund participation goal—currently set at 30 percent for the Class of 2006—he will contribute $10,000 to increase their reunion total. The Frederick Frank ’54 Fifth Reunion Alumni Fund Challenge kicks off this spring and will continue for a total of five years.

How to participate

Members of the Class of 2006 are invited to participate in the Frank Challenge by making their own gift today. Under the terms of the challenge, every unrestricted gift made to the Alumni Fund between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011, will be counted toward the 30 percent participation goal. These include unrestricted gifts directed to the Alumni Fund’s special areas of support: financial aid, faculty support/curriculum development, library collections, and undergraduate life. Make your gift online, or for more information, please contact Jocelyn Polce at (203) 432-5480 or jocelyn.polce@yale.edu.

A better Yale with each new generation

Frederick Frank is a member of one of the University’s most generous classes, and his history of giving to Yale spans five decades. A regular contributor to the Yale Alumni Fund, he also established a professorship at the Yale School of Management as well as a fellowship to encourage second language proficiency among SOM students. A strong proponent of planned giving, he has created a second chair, also at SOM, which will be funded with a bequest. In recognition of this leadership support, he earned membership in Sterling Fellows, a society of Yale’s most generous donors.

Now, Frank hopes his challenge fund will help initiate the same kind of lasting support among recent graduates.

“I believe that we can make Yale better with every new generation, just as our predecessors did for us,” Frank said. “If I can help encourage younger Yale alumni to give, that legacy will continue.”

Indeed, the Frank Challenge has the potential to deliver a long-term impact. Early support is a strong predictor of future giving, a correlation seen first-hand by Inge T. Reichenbach, vice president for development. “When young alumni give to Yale they are not only contributing to our annual fund and strengthening class spirit, they are establishing a lasting connection to their alma mater,” she said.

(March 19, 2010)