In support of the For Humanity campaign, Marla Grossman co-chairs the Greater Washington, DC, Regional Advisory Group and is a member of the Campaign Committee. She was previously chair of the Yale Alumni Fund Board of Directors, and she has served on her class’s reunion gift committees.

What do you find most meaningful about your involvement with Yale?

Volunteering allows me to be part of a remarkable Yale legacy of improving the world today and for future generations. It has been a surprise and delight to see how even after graduation, Yalies remain connected across disciplines, schools, careers, and continents. Yale graduates are fiercely loyal to one another and to the university.
 
Can you tell us about how you started volunteering, and what motivated you?

Yale College was transformative for me, so I wanted to give back to the institution that had given me so much. I had the time of my life at college. Yale helped broaden my outlook, allowed me to discover and indulge new passions, introduced me to people who became lifelong friends, and empowered me.

I started volunteering as a Yale Alumni Fund agent to help raise critical support for core needs such as financial aid, teaching, and student life. While working with the Alumni Fund, I witnessed firsthand how—through giving time or resources—one could create ripple effects, improving not only a student’s life, but those of their family members and their future offspring.

Now, my daughter is a student, and it has been a tremendous joy to witness how she is absorbing so much of what Yale has to offer—the academics, the vast array of extracurricular opportunities, and the social life. She had heard the stories over the years how Yalies work hard and play hard, and now she is experiencing that herself in the best possible ways!
 
What would you like alumni to know about how they can have an impact for humanity through giving to Yale?

A gift of any size, to any part of Yale, truly makes a difference. But I would encourage all alumni to learn about the great work happening across the university, beyond Yale College or the school they may have attended. Whatever is important to you, there are likely people at Yale doing vital work in that area.

For example, I support financial aid at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH). My term as chair of the Alumni Fund coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most severe global crises in modern history. I had the opportunity to learn more about how YSPH is improving the lives of millions of people—by eradicating sickness and disease, pursuing social justice, protecting our environment, and ensuring health equity. I learned how gifts to the school can offer a stunning return on investment, potentially touching millions of lives, transcending borders, and protecting humankind long into the future. Also, because of the school’s small size and modest budget, gifts at all levels have a profound influence on what YSPH can do. Aggregate investments do not simply sustain the school; they have the potential to transform it and the work it is able to do for the benefit of people all around the world.