Administration
Assistant Dean for Advancement Julia Allen Phone: 828/409-0775 (cell) Email: Advancement Associate Zai Cook Phone: 540/231-3929 Email: Director of Communications & Marketing Krista Timney Phone: 540/231-4160 Email: Digital Communications Manager Victoria Boatwright Phone: 540/589-7849 Email: Director of Alumni Relations Tanya Ridpath Phone: 540/231-2332 Email: Assistant Director for Leadership Gifts James H. Eddleton Phone: 540/231-8387 Email:
Donor Relations and Fund Information
How do I participate in Giving Day?
The Virginia Tech Giving Day site is the best way to direct donors to participate on Giving Day. If you would like to coordinate an event, organize giveaways, or reach out to alumni and donors, please contact Tanya Ridpath, Director of Alumni Relations.
How do I find the balance of my fund?
If you have a fund that you use for research, events, or scholarly activities, you can contact Julia Allen, Assistant Dean for Advancement, for information about your funds balance and other relevant information.
How do I find donors for my fund?
It is strongly advised that you contact the Advancement Team before attempting to solicit donations from any potential donors. If you need help finding support for your program, initiative, or fund, whether through potential philanthropists you’ve already connected with or finding donors to the university, please contact Julia Allen, Assistant Dean for Advancement.
I’ve just received a donation to my fund. How do I deposit it?
If a donor has agreed to make a donation to your fund, there are multiple ways in which payment can be accepted. The easiest is through give.vt.edu where donors can select the fund they would like to give to, the amount they would like to give, as well as add any additional comments they would like to make or Honorees / Memorial recipients. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Zai Cook, AAD Advancement Associate. Donors can also donate in cash or check. If a donor decides to donate via check, they should make the check out to ‘Virginia Tech Foundation’ with a memo stating the name of the fund, such as ‘College of Architecture, Arts, and Design Annual Scholarship Fund: 877030’ (if you’re unsure the name of your fund, please contact Zai Cook, AAD Advancement Associate, for assistance).
How do I send thank you letters to donors?
The Dean’s Office keeps a stack of Thank You letters, as well as envelopes, stamps, and AAD stickers to send to donors. The Advancement Team also sends weekly reports of recent donors to your fund so that you can see who has given to your program. Thank you letters are a great way to steward existing donors to stay connected to the university and continue giving in the future. It’s recommended that letters thank the donor at the beginning and end of the message, as well as reference the good that their donation is bringing. They should be handwritten and not more than a sentence or two in length and sent within one week of the donation. If you have any questions about thank you letters, please contact Zai Cook, AAD Advancement Associate.
How do I set up a new Foundation/fund account?
New fund/foundation accounts typically require a minimum starting balance (\$50,000 over 5 years for operating funds, \$100,000 in cash or via bequest for endowed funds) to be established. If a donor wishes to designate a gift be used in a specific way that is not associated with an established fund, they may add a Comment when making a donation through give.vt.edu, add a message to a card or letter for cash donations, or include a note on the memo line of a check. Additional questions should be directed to Julia Allen, Assistant Dean for Advancement.
Alumni Relations and Event Planning
How do I find an event being sponsored by our college?
The college’s Get Involved page as well as the InsideAAD Calendar (aad-events/) are the best places to find current events and happenings, including information about Alumni Weekend, Homecoming, Dean’s Receptions, and more. For more information, please contact Tanya Ridpath, Director of Alumni Relations.
How do I create and organize an event?
If you’re planning an event that includes university alumni or donors, please contact Tanya Ridpath (tanyar@vt.edu), Director of Alumni Relations, for assistance with organizing venues, sending invitations, and obtaining swag and giveaways. Please be aware of the below deadlines: 5 days are required to set up an event registration (university requirement) 30 days are required to send an event announcement (university requirement)
How do I connect with alumni and students?
If you’re looking to invite students to your event, rallying support for Giving Day, or trying to connect alumni to professional resources, please contact Tanya Ridpath, Director of Alumni Relations.
Communications and Marketing
How do I create a social media post for the college channels?
Please put in a Social Media ticket. If you have any questions about how to fill out a ticket or want to add additional context, please contact Victoria Boatwright (vboatwright@vt.edu), Digital Communications Manager.
How do I make updates to the college/school websites?
Please put in a Web Request ticket. If you have any questions about how to fill out a ticket or want to add additional context, please contact Victoria Boatwright (vboatwright@vt.edu), Digital Communications Manager.
How do I request graphic design support?
Please put in a Graphic Support ticket. If you have any questions about how to fill out a ticket or want to add additional context, please contact Victoria Boatwright (vboatwright@vt.edu), Digital Communications Manager.
How do I access the college, schools, and centers logo lockups?
Lockups (or logos) for the college and all our schools and centers are available on the Virginia Tech Brand Center site. For each unit, you will find horizontal as well as vertical designs; the horizontal lockups are the primary version for print + digital pieces and the vertical or stacked lockups are most commonly reserved for merchandise. Lockups saved with RGB in the file name should be used for web and digital files. Lockups saved with CMYK in the file name should be used for print pieces. If you have any questions about file format or which lockup to use, please contact Victoria Boatwright (vboatwright@vt.edu), Digital Communications Manager.
Where do I find brand and communications resources?
Visit the AAD brand center for more information about graphic elements, fonts, approved vendors for graphic art, video, photography, websites, social media, news, and media. You can also visit the Virginia Tech Brand Center for more information.
Who do I contact with a great story idea?
Suggestions for story ideas should be directed to Krista Timney (ktimney@vt.edu), Director of Communications.