Here in the Office of Institutional Advancement, we are always working hard to support the university and connect our donors with causes they care most about. We would like to introduce our donors — to whom we are so grateful — to the people who help make those things happen. Today, we’ll be hearing from Dayna Carpenter, the Director of Annual Giving.
Name: Dayna Carpenter
Job Title: Director of Annual Giving
Focus Area: Annual giving at UMBC includes direct mail, online communications including e-solicitations and crowdfunding, and the student call center. We primarily focus on alumni, parent, and faculty and staff giving initiatives.
Years at UMBC: I’ve worked at UMBC for 4 years. My first week on campus (and in Maryland) was “Snowmageddon of 2010.”
Q: Where are you from originally?
A: I’m from Orrington, Maine, which is just outside of the Greater Bangor area. I love the state and I try to get back at least a few times every year to visit with friends and family.
Q: What do you love most about UMBC?
A: I love the people. It’s a rare environment that brings students, faculty, staff and alumni together in such a collaborative way. I feel like the work that we are doing is meaningful.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about your job?
A: I love helping people find ways to support UMBC. There is a vehicle and a cause for everyone, whether they want to support a student organization, a sports team, their academic program or the university’s greatest need, we can help them accomplish it.
Q: Why do you think it’s important to support UMBC?
A: Giving back is a very personal act, so I think that answer is different for different people. For me, higher education is invaluable. I support UMBC because I see the impact it has on so many people’s lives and on the state of Maryland. The university’s community members influence arts and culture, public policy, natural and mathematical sciences, engineering and information technology, and cybersecurity (just to name a few areas). When you look at supporting other organizations, where else can you make a gift that has that kind of reach? For alumni, there is the added benefit that as the university rises in national rankings, the value of their degree is enhanced, too.
Q: What do you most look forward to on any given workday?
A: I love that every day is different. One day I might be editing a complex set of data in an excel sheet for hours and later drafting a letter or developing text for our crowdfunding site. The next day might involve meeting with a dean, collaborating with the marketing and communications staff, working at an alumni event or popping into the student call center. Working at UMBC always keeps things interesting for me.
Q: Who do you admire and why?
A: I greatly admire my grandmother. She is hardworking and compassionate, always looking for the bright spot in every situation and is quick to give people the benefit of the doubt. That’s something that I think a lot of people struggle with. Especially as I’ve grown older, I appreciate her character more and more. She is always polished and
classy and kind.
Q: What is your favorite hobby or pastime?
A: I love spending time with my husband and our dog Murphy. It usually doesn’t matter what kind of trouble we’re getting into, as long as we’re together. Anyone who knows me through social media also knows that I love snapping photos of my friends, my family and especially of Murphy.
Dayna’s dog, Murphy.
