If employee participation during the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s 2014 fundraising campaign was special, UALR’s performance in 2015 sent campaign director Derek Boyce searching for new superlatives.

After UALR hit the 60 percent participation mark in 2014, seven out of 10 employees donated to the 2015 campaign.

“Employees care about the university,” said Boyce, a member of the UALR Office of Alumni and Development and director of the campaign. “That’s evident because we’ve exceeded our goals.”

The Choose UALR 2015 “Your Campus, Your Choice” campaign gave donors the option of designating their gifts to specific scholarships, departments, or programs.

UALR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson said it was a “remarkable” accomplishment when the percentage of faculty and staff who gave to the campaign topped 50 percent in 2012.

“This year’s figure of 70 percent is nothing short of phenomenal,” Anderson said. “It shows UALR faculty and staff are generous people. It also shows they believe they work for an institution that has a noble purpose and does very good things for our students and many other people.”

The 2015 annual campaign raised $347,000 — about $370 per employee.

Forty-five departments had a 100 percent employee giving rate, and a couple of colleges nearly reached that level.

The College of Education and Health Professions finished at 99 percent employee participation in the annual fund, and the College of Engineering and Information Technology had the second-highest college performance at 90 percent.

One of the advantages of a participation-based campaign is that anyone can get involved, regardless of the amount he or she chooses to give, Boyce said.

A high participation rate by employees resonates with outside donors and demonstrates the strong philanthropic culture at UALR, he said. And, this level of giving provides an important revenue stream to the university’s annual fund.

“If people are giving, that means they’re believing in and supporting our mission and vision,” said Boyce, who noted that the 2016 campaign is now underway.

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Photo: Pictured in the upper right: College of Education and Health Professions