Alumni sustain level of giving to colleges and universities
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So far, America’s new war and even a recession don’t seem to have dampened gift-giving to area colleges and universities.
While competition among fundraising organizations has intensified, as traditional charities vie for gift dollars with newer, post-September 11 relief efforts, it appears people are still managing to open their checkbooks to support their alma maters.
“It says a lot about people,” said Laurie Musgrove, vice president for institutional advancement at Bryant College. “I think they’re evaluating what’s really important: church, family, and alma mater. I don’t want to sound corny, but a lot of people have strong feelings about their colleges and universities.”
College development offices warn that the fiscal year is young, so it may be far too soon to gauge the full effects of a harrowing fall.
Robert Beagle, vice president of university advancement at the University of Rhode Island, said the school’s current primary fundraising campaign, for its Convocation Center, is on track.
The campaign has a $15 million goal, and has raised $14.5 million – $500,000 in the last six weeks. The Convocation Center will be a multi-use facility, home for URI’s basketball team, concerts, graduations and other events.
Beagle said that, if anything, likely the result of market volatility, the university has not received as many gifts of appreciated stock.
“We’re not doing anything differently,” he said. “We’re continuing with things as planned.”
URI’s annual fund drive was delayed for about a month, but is on now, as are various alumni activities.
“We’re seeing that things are coming back to normalcy,” Beagle said.
Bryant College lost four alumni in the terrorist attacks of September 11. Bryant’s Musgrove, said the college considered delaying the Oct. 19 kickoff of its first ever capital campaign to raise $35 million. After consulting with peers, Bryant decided not to delay, but did not call people in the New York or Washington, D.C. areas.
As for what the events of September 11 or the current recession mean for the campaign, “so far, we have not seen a negative impact,” said Musgrove.
And, ironically, she said, the fall’s tragic events have actually generated some additional gifts.
As part of Bryant’s homecoming and class reunion activities, the college held a 5K road race to honor one alumnus, who died on United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the World Trade Center’s South Tower. The event raised $70,000.
Another alumnus agreed to match the gift for the three other victims who were Bryant graduates.
Musgrove said almost $400,000 was raised.
Musgrove said it is too early in the giving year to determine the overall effects of crisis and recession to Bryant’s capital campaign, but thinks the events may be playing a role in an overall shift in priorities for donors.
Bryant will use the contributions to its capital campaign to fund scholarships, new facilities and support academic programs. The college’s need to broaden its base of support, Musgrove said, has come about because “needs have changed, opportunities have changed – it’s a different world. It’s much more competitive.”
“We haven’t changed our methods,” said Maeve Hickok, executive director of information, news and publications at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. “After our fiscal year closes on Dec. 31, we will compare our numbers from last year and see if we need to change our tactics.”
Just this fall, the school announced the receipt of $850,000 for an endowed chair in Portuguese studies. The majority – $650,000 – was raised from individuals, post-September 11, Hickok said.
“Fundraising in general has become a much more focused venture for the university,” she said.
Funds raised by the school have steadily increased over the last eight years, said Hickok. In 1993, the university raised $400,000 through its capital campaign; last year it raised $6 million.
Brown University’s James Husson, vice president for development, said that while the school is not currently in the midst of a capital campaign, a number of other fundraising efforts are underway, including its annual fund, class donations and contributions for a new life sciences building.
Brown delayed a number of direct mailings usually made in late September, this year sent in November – as the result of the September 11 attacks.
“We layered it a little bit – we’re only now mailing to harder-hit regions,” he said.
Other than that, no changes have been made to Brown’s fundraising strategy – adjustments to those procedures, if needed, will be made next year, he said.
“It’s too early to tell for us,” Husson said. “Because our fiscal year runs July through Junewe’re just about mid-way through the second quarter of the year.”
URI’s Beagle said that if habits are to change as a result of last fall’s events, he is hopeful that the surge of support for charities and organizations after September 11 will result in a long-term return to giving.
“People are seeing what can be done,” he said. “If they’ve invested in one type of philanthropic purpose, they’re more likely to invest in others.”
