Donors multiply their impact

Carol and Wayne Pletcher

From M, fall 2003

Adding to the success of Campaign Minnesota were donors like Carol and Wayne Pletcher, who also got extra mileage out of their gift. The Pletchers took advantage of employer matching funds and the U of M's 21st Century Graduate Fellowship Endowment to establish a $50,000 fellowship for graduate students in the College of Biological Sciences.

"My husband and I have a strong belief in the power of education," says Carol Pletcher (Ph.D. '79).

The Pletchers contribute financially to four institutions of higher education, and to make their dollars stretch, they try to make the most of matching funds.

"Both our companies match contributions to higher education," Carol says. Her employer, Cargill, as well as her husband's company, 3M, matched their contributions to the U dollar for dollar. The 21st Century Graduate Fellowship Endowment matched the combined gifts, essentially quadrupling the Pletcher's original contribution.

"It's not like you can change $100 into $25,000," Carol Pletcher says. "But if you're intentional, you can clearly leverage a lot of resources that are available to you."