APPLETON, WIS. — Not only did Lawrence University officials close the books on the most successful fundraising year in the college’s history, they were rewarded with a 2008 Circle of Excellence Award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for educational fundraising.
Although not a factor in the CASE award, Lawrence shattered its all-time previous fundraising record by raising $31.4 million in gifts and donations in fiscal year 2007-08. The June 30, year-end total represents an increase of 47 percent over the 2007 total.
“We are extremely pleased with and grateful for the level of support we receive from the thousands of people who believe in the mission of the college,” said Cal Husmann, vice president of development and alumni relations. “Fundraising is directly related to the quality of the educational experience at Lawrence. It is also a reflection and affirmation of the hard work and dedication of my colleagues on Lawrence’s first-rate alumni-development team.”
Lawrence was one of six institutions cited for “overall improvement” in CASE’s private liberal arts category, along with Coe, Hamilton, Haverford, Loras and Skidmore colleges. This year’s Circle of Excellence Awards drew 3,500 individual entries from 766 institutions.
The CASE Circle of Excellence Award winners are determined by a panel of judges based on data submitted to the Council for Aid to Education’s “Voluntary Support of Education” survey over a three-year period. Among the criteria considered are pattern of growth in total support, overall breadth in program areas and donor growth among alumni and other individuals. The 2008 winners were based on information from 2005-2007 and did not include Lawrence’s record-breaking fundraising year.
During the survey years, Lawrence increased total gift income from $7,474,000 in fiscal year 2005 to $21,345,000 in 2007. In that same time frame, Lawrence alumni participation rates averaged 49 percent. According to the 2007 Target Analytics Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance, national alumni participation rates for private institutions have declined six percent in the past two years to a national average of 26.8 percent in 2007.
“Our alumni participation rate continues to rank among the nation’s best, indicating an exceedingly high level of alumni satisfaction,” said Husmann. “We hear time and again how the Lawrence experience has transformed lives. We have seen generations of our alumni emerge as leaders in their communities and professions around the world. Since 90 percent of Lawrence’s gifts come from individuals who have been touched by their Lawrence experience, it’s clear that the upward trend in giving is linked to the quality and unique aspects of the institution.”
CASE is the largest international association of educational institutions, serving more than 3,300 colleges, universities and related organizations in 54 countries.
