University of Michigan

Supporting the Student Experience

Telefund Donors Respond to the Call

Meet Student Fundraiser Andrew Lamont

Photo by Scott C. Soderberg, U-M Photo Services

When student Telefundraiser Andrew Lamont calls, generous donors answer: He has raised $200,000 in 2 ½ years.

Photo by Scott C. Soderberg, U-M Photo Services

Home is where the phone is: at the Corner of Glen and Huron in Ann Arbor.

Andrew Lamont was making sandwiches at a Jimmy John’s in Ann Arbor in 2008 when he heard about a student fundraising opportunity at Michigan Telefund. He applied, and he got the job.

At first, it was just that: another job. But before long, Lamont realized that, in calling others, he’d found his calling—at least for his college years. “I just took to it,” he says. “I don’t really know why.”

Over the course of the next two and a half years, Lamont raised $200,000 for the University, one phone call at a time. To what does he attribute his success? Preparation is important. He learns as much as he can about fundraising initiatives so that he can answer questions. Listening is critical, too. He spends the first few minutes just chatting with alumni. “I can learn a lot about a person in two minutes,” he says. Then he uses what he learns to present meaningful opportunities to support the work of the University.

Lamont’s success may be more a matter of the heart than of technique, however. A senior majoring in Linguistics and English Language and Literature in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Lamont believes in Michigan and finds making it a better place extremely satisfying. In addition, talking to alumni strengthens his sense of connection to the University, and he sees his job as giving alumni a fresh way to feel connected, too. “I’m introducing them to a different relationship with the University that they might not have otherwise thought of,” he says. “This job is more rewarding than anything I’ve ever done.”

After graduation in 2012, Lamont would like to join Teach for America and then work toward a Ph.D. in his first love—linguistics. While fundraising does not figure into his career plans right now, Lamont says, the Telefund experience has changed him: “I feel more connected to the University as a whole.”

Learn more about opportunities in student philanthropy at Michigan.

Last updated September 15, 2011

More Stories