Advancement is here to help you get connected — and stay connected —to the Warren Wilson College community. Advancement's role at Warren Wilson is to support and encourage the mission of the College among all audiences, in all ways. In our work, “friend-raising” is just as important as fundraising. Our goal is to build long-term, close relationships with you, our alumni, friends, and families of students. These relationships are essential to achieving our mission and sustaining Warren Wilson over the long term.  We appreciate your support and friendship.

The Office of Advancement incorporates

• Development
• Annual Giving
• Community Relations
• Advancement Services

Funding/Giving – Focus of Development and Annual Giving

While Warren Wilson teaches students the value of life beyond money, finances are still a very real factor in the College’s day-to-day operations. As you know, student tuition does not cover the full cost of providing the Warren Wilson experience, and increasing sources of private funding is absolutely critical to our existence.

Within the Advancement Office, the development and annual giving departments focus on myriad avenues for fundraising.

These include:

• Major gifts (from foundations, businesses, and individuals)
• Annual and planned giving (from alumni, parents, families and friends)
• Occasional large-scale capital campaigns for specific building projects or endowments.

Community Relations – Relationships with Alumni and Community

Community Relations creates opportunities for WWC alumni, friends, parents, families, church partners, and members of the surrounding community to engage with one another and with the College in meaningful ways.

Events such as Homecoming, receptions in other parts of the country, Weekend at Wilson, the Green Walkabout, and The Swannanoa Gathering give graduates and community members an opportunity to visit our campus, forge personal relationships with individuals here, and feel a sense of kinship and shared identity with the Warren Wilson family.

Being involved in a “hands-on” way with Warren Wilson brings the College’s brand and messaging to life, and helps to support the fund-raising efforts. 

Advancement Services – Giving and Receiving

Advancement Services supports the fundraising and friend-raising efforts of the department by providing data, research, and processing gifts. Its staff is involved in assuring confidentiality, proper gift acknowledgement and a secure database of information. In addition, this function oversees the Advancement student work crew, a vital part of our office's operation. Students collect alumni notes, prepare and work for Phonathon, create publications, help out at events and work on the website.