GOOD FRIENDS GATHER FOR JMU HOLIDAYFEST 2005.

Family and friends gather together during the holidays to celebrate in their own traditional ways. The JMU way is with Holidayfest. And this year, students, alumni, faculty and friends of the university came together on December 4^th and enjoyed good company and cheer, terrific music and a tree lighting with caroling in the chilly evening air warmed by hot cider.

DECEMBER ONE OF THE BEST MONTHS EVER FOR JMU FUNDRAISING.

Gifts and pledges to Madison in the month of December already have surpassed the $2 million mark – with more likely to come before the year ends on the 31^st. Weston Hatfield, associate vice president for Development at JMU says, “It's been a phenomenal month. You can feel the excitement.” What is most exciting is that gifts and pledges have surpassed $2 million without any one gift or pledge higher than $500,000. So rather than one or two million dollar gifts comprising the total, it's been a groundswell of support from many donors. “That's what makes this December so promising – a culture of giving truly is emerging at Madison . The future looks bright,” adds Hatfield.

Remember – behind every gift, there's a story. So look for next month's Advancing Madison to find out who is giving and just what all the excitement is about.   

DECEMBER 2005 GRADUATES THE FIRST TO KEEP THEIR UNIVERSITY ELECTRONIC ID'S.

In a major step toward making and keeping closer relationships with alumni and friends of Madison, this fall semester's graduates will be the first group ever to keep their JMU electronic IDs after leaving the university. “Moving to an online environment where we can maintain lifetime relationships with graduates, as well as cultivate new relationships with prospective students, has been one of our top priorities for the last several years,” says David Taylor ('85), director of marketing in University Advancement. “For at least the last two years we've been working closely with folks in IT to achieve this. It's an exciting first step.”

Giving graduates access to university online services, such as e-Campus where transcripts may be acquired, is a first step to providing a variety of online offerings catering to the needs of alumni. “More than ever, today's students want to continue learning through out life,” says Taylor. “Most will likely have more than one or two different careers. By giving them access to tools, information and services that help them along the way, we can maintain a closer relationship with alumni. That's good for them and good for Madison.”

In addition to their electronic ID's, the 600-or-so students graduating in December will also be given e-mail forwarding capability from their original JMU account. This allows graduates to enter a forwarding address for all their JMU email. Dale Hulvey ('83), assistant vice president for Information Technology, says, "Since graduates will have a variety of other e-mail accounts, e-mail forwarding from JMU allows for the mail to follow students wherever they go, rather than having to ‘look after' a JMU e-mail account." This will allow alumni to keep in touch with each other through their original JMU e-mail addresses.

KATRINA ACT OFFERS WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO DONORS.

The hurricane related disaster in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast created an unprecedented need for charitable giving. In response, Congress passed the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 in September to encourage higher levels of giving through the end of this calendar year.

Under the new law, donations made between August 28 and December 31, 2005 to qualified charities, like James Madison University, qualify for special tax treatment. Taxpayers may deduct charitable contributions up to 100% of their adjusted gross income, up from 50%. Donations do not need to relate to hurricane relief to qualify, and may be for any amount.  Revisit the topic of charitable giving with your tax advisor before December 31st to take advantage of this special opportunity. More information about the Katrina Emergency Relief Act of 2005 is available on the IRS Web site.

END OF YEAR GIVING TO JMU.

Although the University will be closed from Friday, December 23, 2005 through Monday, January 2, 2006, anyone who wishes to make a gift for the 2005 tax year may do so by calling Advancement Gifts and Records at (540) 568-2822 or the Development Office at (800) 296-6162. The Office of Advancement Gifts and Records will be open Tuesday, December 27, 2005 through Saturday, December 31, 2005 from 8AM - 5PM.

The Development Office will be open Friday, December 23, 2005 and on Tuesday, December 26, 2005, through Friday, December 30, 2005.

You may hand deliver contributions to our offices in Cardinal House at 500 Cardinal Drive or to the Development Office on the lower floor of Leeolou Alumni Center at 202 Alumni Drive (enter at the lower level from the gravel parking lot) during this time.

Credit card gifts submitted on-line must be received by 5PM Friday, December 30, 2005 to allow sufficient processing time to qualify for a 2005 tax contribution. Credit card gifts processed after January 1, 2006 do not qualify for a 2005 tax contribution.

Gifts mailed to Advancement Gifts and Records must be postmarked on or before Saturday, December 31, 2005 to qualify for a contribution for tax year 2005.

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