The generosity of ISU alumni and employees is being credited with making the ISU Foundation’s “Campaign Destiny: To Become the Best” the most successful private fund-raising campaign in university history. The Campaign Destiny fund raiser began July 1, 1995 and ended June 30, 2000. Tom Mitchell, president of the ISU Foundation, said the final numbers greatly exceeded original expectations. “We started campaigning with a goal of raising $300 million over five years. We reached that goal two years early and extended the goal to $425 million, which was reached in December 1999. The final total was $458.6 million,” he said. Mitchell said he credits the program’s success to highly dedicated donors. “It is an amazing vote of confidence when you have over 54,000 people contributing on an annual basis, and they are contributing at record levels,” Mitchell said. “I think that Iowa Staters, alumni and friends are unconditionally committed to their university, and each of the contributors was saying that they believed in the future of this great institution.” Mitchell said ISU faculty and staff, who donated $14.2 million to Campaign Destiny’s “Drive From Within,” showed their confidence in the school. “More than half of Iowa State’s employees and retirees donated to the `Drive From Within.'” Mitchell said. “Their record-setting giving was a strong show of internal support and a significant factor in motivating ISU alumni and friends also to give generously to Campaign Destiny.” Tahira Hira, Campaign Destiny volunteer co-chair, said she believed in the fund raiser because of her dedication to Iowa State. “I love what I do and I love the university. I believe in education, which is why my whole life is devoted to education,” said Hira, assistant vice provost for Extension. Hira said the desire to make a difference played a key role in the campaign’s success. “There’s a pleasure in giving. It’s not the amount – it’s the act. When [donors] see the final result, they can look around and say, `hmm . I made a little difference,'” Hira said. “Your little thing is in there, running around.” Hira said the donations were also an opportunity for people to give to the projects they believe are important. “Education for young people is a very, very important thing for a society to be successful. The future lies in the youth of today, and it’s my future as well, even if I’m not around,” she said. “I personally can’t believe that there is a better thing I can do. What happens in these four or five years is going to change the rest of [students’] lives. It’s like lighting a candle from a candle from a candle, and it lights up the whole place and it’s beautiful.” Mitchell said most of the Campaign Destiny donors directed their funds to a specific purpose, which means that the money cannot be used for other projects. “About 95 percent of all the funds raised during the campaign are restricted by nature, which means the donor asked us to use the funds in a certain way,” Mitchell said. “For example, $100 million is just for scholarship support.” Hira said many donations are directly beneficial to students. “The largest proportion goes to bringing in people who couldn’t go to college otherwise, and to top-notch students, so they can be around and create a nurturing environment,” Hira said.