Paul Sheff, vice president for development at the College of the Holy Cross, said that he "remains optimistic about the long-term future of philanthropy not only across the board but also at Holy Cross." His added that his optimism "is based on three factors: 1. Real disposable personal income is up. After the big fall in 2000, personal disposable income began to rebound in late 2001 and has been on a steady track upwards for the past two years. 2. Consumers are continuing to spend. They did so throughout the market drop, and they continue to do so now. In general, they spend for things they consider necessary. 3. Even throughout the market drop, spending on education and charity continued its upward trend, a trend that has been underway for over fifty years. I would argue that for many people, education and charity fall under the category of necessary spending. The money's there, people are spending, and education and charities continue to see experience the benefits of that spending," Sheff said.

At Binghamton University, donations are up 125% compared to donations received last year by the end of November. The university just received a $1 million donation from a deceased faculty member's estate to support German language instruction, yet even without it, would still be up 15%. They also have just received $1 million to endow a professorship in entrepreneurial studies through their School of Management.

Alumni giving is also up, and the alumni average gift size is up by 25%, according to Thomas Kelly, vice president for external affairs. As far as overall giving - cash, deferred gifts, gifts in kind and Research Foundation Grants (non-contract, non-government grants we are able to count according to industry standards) Binghamton is up 200%. The majority of that increase is in cash and gifts in kind with Research Foundation grants also being up year over year.

"There appears to be an upturn in the interest and willingness of donors to support Binghamton University, which is increasingly seen as a great asset to our community and to New York State," said Kelly. "The resurgence in the economy is a definite factor in the increase in support that we are experiencing."

Ursinus College launched a major, comprehensive fundraising campaign in October. According to Hudson Scattergood, vice president for college relations, as of Nov. 30, gifts are up 27% over the same time last year; and donors are up 15% over this time last year. Additionally, alumni gifts are up 146% and alumni donors are up 11%.

"There is certainly a more 'optimistic' feel from prospects this year," he said, "demonstrated by an increased number of gifts by appreciated security over the past two years and by the positive response to our student phone-a-thon callers."

While overall numbers may look small in the context of the institutions better known for their fundraising, 2002 and 2003 have been the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC) best fundraising years ever. On top of finishing a $50 million capital campaign with $66 million--including $18 million in endowment, up from less than $3 million before the campaign, last year UMBC brought in another $15 million and anticipates being at $10 million by the end of December with another six months to go in the university fundraising cycle.

The largest gifts from last year are a $3 million gift from Atlantic Philanthropies to support both the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and the replication of its best practices to other student groups and a $1 million endowment from a Board member and his family to support scholarships for students who want to become teachers. "By the end of the year, we anticipate closing on another $3 million gift for teacher education and a $1 million gift for our public affairs scholars program. As all of this happened during a period in which state support to UMBC decreased $15M and our enrollment grew by more than 200 students, this counterintuitive increase is private support was very welcome," said Lisa Akchin, associate vice president for marketing and public relations.

When asked about any new approaches to raising funds in 2003, Rose-Hulman's Mark Richter said, "We are making sure that our year-end appeals are mailed a little earlier than normal and that the staff emphasize personal calls" during the end of the year. "I think the personal, one-on-one, contacts are especially important as the economy emerges from its three-year slump and donors are once again making decisions about what organizations to support."

Binghamton University created a leadership society this past year as a new initiative. Melinda Holicky, director of Binghamton's Annual Fund, said, "The Binghamton University Leadership Society was instituted in an effort to raise the sights of our annual donors, provide increased recognition for these donors, cultivate the next generation of major donors and educate donors about the importance of contributing annual, on-going sustaining support for the University. Giving increased in the inaugural year of this group."

This fall, the Ursinus College advancement staff made some changes in technique, including "refining our phone-a-thon message, providing enhanced training for our callers, adding to our class representative pool, and personalizing our in-person and mail requests," Scattergood said.

Fundraising Trends Contacts

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