Annual Impact Report for Keystone Donors

Student at convocation

Every year, many current and retired Waterloo faculty and staff make a financial donation to the Keystone Campaign, demonstrating your deep commitment to our students.

In the past year, Keystone donors collectively gave $2.7 million*. Every breakthrough discovery, every new facility and every convocation ceremony is possible because of their commitment.


Where did my support go?

Your gifts create an outstanding student experience — one that is built around the services, programs, initiatives and facilities that enhance our students’ time at Waterloo.

Here are a few highlights of the impact of your collective investment:

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Scholarships and Bursaries

Keystone donors supported more than 200 scholarships and bursaries. The awards relieved financial pressure on students, recognized their hard work, and inspired them to reach for the stars.

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The Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo

Construction of a new kitchen and dining facility for Conrad Grebel is on time, with completion expected this summer.

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Faculty Support

Experiential learning took a unique twist in August as 2 instructors and 13 students from the Faculty of Environment boarded the RCGS Resolute for the Arctic Field School’s maiden voyage to the Northwest Passage and Greenland.

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Waterloo Fund

Unrestricted gifts supported new mental health programs for students, the purchase of library e-journals, and improved campus wayfinding.

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Library

At the September grand opening of the Library Revitalization Project, new transformative spaces were showcased, including more study rooms, a lounge area, a quiet reflection room, a flexible Learning Lab and new study furniture.

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Athletics and Recreation

The Warriors Multi-Sport and Games Camp offered up to 10 children (aged 5 – 12) in need from our community the chance to participate in organized team sports.

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Student Wellness

Launched this past September, monthly breakfast seminars introduce international students to campus supports and services, and offer other relevant topics to help students achieve personal and academic success.

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New Spaces

Construction on a 63,000 square foot expansion of the Student Life Centre / Physical Activities Complex is in full swing, and will be completed this year.

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STEM Outreach Programs

More than 200 elementary and high school girls from the community had the opportunity to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through workshops, camps and conferences.

Giving Breakdown

Keystone graphic of giving breakdown

There is tremendous power in the collective — gifts made by our Keystone donors, whether $10 or $10,000, positively impact the experiences of our students.

Total raised: $2.7 million
Number of funds supported: 353


Scholarships, Awards & Bursaries – 38%

Academic Program Support – 26%

Other program Support – 15%

Buildings & Grounds – 10%

Athletics and Recreation – 7%

Library Acquisitions – 4%

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Gift type:

69% of gifts are made monthly or bi-weekly

11% of gifts are made annually

20% of gifts were made by one-time donors

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Donor groups:

Faculty – 31%

Staff – 43%

Retirees – 26%


To know that someone believed my hard work was worth investing in was a huge confidence and morale boost.Robert Currie (MASc '19)


Andy Cho

Positivity sticks thanks to random act of kindness

There are times when we all need a reminder that there are people in our corner.

For Andy Cho (BCS ’18), the winter term was one of those times. “Over the winter, students are applying for their very first co-op work term. For me, that was when I felt the most helpless and low during my time at Waterloo.”

“One day, as I rushed across campus to a co-op interview, an upper-year student saw me and wished me well. I had no idea who he was, but it gave me a boost when I really needed one.”

The gesture stuck with him.

During a particularly dreary winter, Andy felt the campus “could use some extra love.” Inspired by an Instagram challenge which asked people to leave uplifting messages for strangers to find, Andy put his calligraphy skills to work to spread positivity. He left hand-written sticky notes with the instruction to ‘take me’, encouraging students to keep the messages.

“I have no idea what they did with the note, but I hope they felt a little burst of happiness every once in awhile if they kept it around.”

It’s people like Andy who create the caring, supportive community our campus has become known for. His single act of kindness spawned a cross-campus movement that now sees sticky notes popping up in windows and on doors everywhere during exam weeks. Messages like, ‘YOU GOT THIS!’, ‘GOOD LUCK WARRIORS’ and ‘WE’RE WITH YOU!’ offer students encouragement at times when they really need it.

Andy is now a software engineer at Facebook in Seattle, and he’s still brightening peoples’ days by leaving his sticky notes in the Seattle Public Library. And although he’s 2,500 miles away, Andy continues to support current Waterloo students in a different but just as impactful way — as a generous donor.

Cristen Brown

Questions?

Contact Cristen Brown, Senior Development Officer, Annual Giving at:


*Including one large unexpected gift