Birkbeck’s Telephone Fundraising Campaign – meet the 2019 student callers

The Birkbeck Summer Telephone Campaign 2019 has now begun. A team of passionate Birkbeck student fundraisers will be contacting alumni over the next five weeks to fundraise for College priorities.

Alumni gifts provide financial support to deserving students, and this support can often be the difference between being able to complete their studies, or not. Relieving some of the financial burden for a student enables them to perform to the best of their ability by minimising the stress induced by monetary pressures.

Not only do alumni gifts provide assistance to these deserving students but they can also have an impact on life at the College, ensuring that future generations of students have the best facilities, support, advice and career guidance during their time at Birkbeck.

Tara Millington, Regular Giving Officer at Birkbeck has said: “the telephone campaigns are a wonderful testament to the Birkbeck alumni community. Alumni often feedback about how much they enjoy speaking to a current student. Whether it’s financial support, providing work placements or volunteering to be a mentor, our alumni continue to contribute to make Birkbeck such special place to study.”

The Summer Campaign will run between 4 June and 6 July – if you’d like to receive a call from one of our students, please get in touch with Tara Millington (t.millington@bbk.ac.uk).

Birkbeck’s Telephone Fundraising Team:

Aaron, Msc Criminology

“I wanted to be part of the telephone campaign so I could contribute to Birkbeck’s ongoing success. I chose to study here because it was an evening course with a diverse range of students and interesting course content. I’m most looking forward to engaging with alumni and engaging with people outside of my department”.

Alex, MRes Comparative Literature

“I chose to study at Birkbeck as I believe it has a friendly and fair ethos. Fundraising for Birkbeck is important as it enables further research, and I’m really looking forward to engaging with alumni and learning more about how funding has an impact within academia”.

Alexander, BA Global Cinema

“During the campaign, I most look forward to the conversations I have – I enjoy hearing about difference courses that alumni studied. I’m passionate about raising money to support Birkbeck students, it is a unique place thanks to its range of courses and it’s flexibility with evening study”.

Ayelen, MPhil / PHD

“As a scholarship recipient myself, I like the idea of giving back some of my time to Birkbeck and being part of the Telephone Campaign team – plus I enjoy speaking to people! Fundraising for Birkbeck is important as it gives future generations of students the opportunity to pursue tertiary education. I chose to study at Birkbeck through my admiration for the lecturers here.”

Charles, MA Text and Performance

“I wanted to join the fundraising team so that I could be part of something that was a fulfilling and meaningful way to make a difference at Birkbeck. Fundraising is important to continue the support and services that Birkbeck offers to students and stay true to its original vision. I’m most looking forward to hearing interesting stories from alumni and seeing what they’ve been up to since graduating.”

Edwin, MA Text and Performance

“I wanted to participate in the Telephone Campaign because Birkbeck has contributed significantly to advancing my knowledge and skills in my chosen field (Theatre & Politics). Bursaries are immeasurably useful to me, and so I believe fundraising is crucial. I enjoy having a chat with alumni who have shared my experience, and hearing their stories”.

Fran, MA Museum Cultures

“Birkbeck is known for its amazing support, and I want to be part of that by fundraising to help students achieve great things! My favourite part of being a student fundraiser is having nice conversations and hearing alumni’s motivations to give back.”

Janelle, MSc Public Policy and Management

“I chose to study at Birkbeck as I wanted to learn alongside fellow mature students who have had work experience. I want to reach out to alumni in the campaign and strengthen their relationship with Birkbeck.”

Jed, BSc Biomedicine

“I’m looking forward to having interesting conversations with alumni, and seeing if they have any advice for me as a current Birkbeck student. My course is of great teaching quality and I’m looking forward to raising money to help support future students.”

Joseph, MSc International Development

“I am developing my career in the 3rd sector and wanted to gain some fresh and relevant experience. Raising funds for Birkbeck is important as it is becoming increasingly difficult for universities to access government funding. I’m looking forwards to having some lovely conversations with Birkbeck alumni!”.

Luke, BA English

“I like the fact that Birkbeck offers evening study, which worked better for me. I am looking forward to being part of the call team so that I am to learn about the experiences of previous students. It is great to be able to support Birkbeck and connect with a wide range of alumni.”

Natalie, BA Linguistics

“I applied to be part of the call team as I found the nature of the job interesting, I like conversing with people. What I enjoy the most about the role is the sense of personal achievement and growth, raising money to contribute to future developments at Birkbeck” .

Oliver, Certificate of Education, Economics

“Fundraising is important as it gives students who may not be in a fortunate financial situation an opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Being part of the telephone campaign will be a good experience to improve my communication skills, which I will be able to apply in my future career.”

Shakeela, BSc Social Sciences

“I wanted to take part in the Telephone Campaign as I like to speak to alumni and find out about their experiences. It was also a way to meet a variety of students I wouldn’t have met before. I feel fundraising for Birkbeck is important as it encourages continued support for the projects here, some of which I’ve benefited from myself.”

Shuvashish, BSc. Social Sciences

“Working as part of the Telephone Campaign team is a step towards fulfilling my long-term career goal to work within the charity sector. I’m looking forward to interacting with alumni and having the satisfaction of raising crucial funds for Birkbeck.”