Alumni gifts boost the bottom line.

LAST YEAR WAS A GOOD ONE FOR CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS, AS GIFTS from alumni helped institutions haul in a record $28 billion, according to survey results released by the Council for Aid to Education in February. Results showed that alumni giving increased by 18.3 percent. The findings were no surprise, according to Ann E. Kaplan, director of the council's Voluntary Support of Education Survey, citing that several colleges and universities were engaged in capital campaigns.

"No matter how good the economy is, giving increases in large part because institutions make a good case for support and are out there asking for contributions," Kaplan says. "Therefore, the advancement function at the institution is key, and should be robust."

Stanford University topped the list of 2006's largest fundraising institutions at $911.16 million, followed by Harvard University, at $594.94 million, and Yale University, at $433.46 million.

Stanford's fundraising total, a significant jump from $603.6 million in 2004-2005, could be said to be in timing with two campaign drives. In 2006, the university concluded The Campaign for Undergraduate Education, a five-year effort that brought in more than $1.1 billion for undergraduate students and programs. Last October, the university launched The Stanford Challenge, a $4.3 billion campaign aimed at seeking solutions to complex global problems as well as enhancing its graduate and undergraduate education. According to Martin Shell, vice president for development, this campaign cycle brought in strong results in giving.

The survey, sponsored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, indicates that alumni are responding to campaign drives, as gifts for capital purposes--such as endowments, buildings, and equipment--increased by 14 percent in 2006. The number of alumni donors continues to rise slightly each year, and the size of contributions also is increasing, notes Rae Goldsmith, CASE's VP, communications and marketing. "We can speculate that this is also happening because more alumni are being asked and because more institutions are in capital campaigns, which focus giving around defined institutional needs that often connect to alumni interests," Goldsmith explains.

THE NATION'S TOP 10 FUNDRAISING UNIVERSITIES AND DOLLARS RECEIVED

1) Stanford University ($911.16 million)

2) Harvard University $594.94 million)

3) Yale University ($433.46 million)

4) University of Pennsylvania ($409.49 million)

5) Cornell University ($406.23 million)

6) University of Southern California ($405.75 million)

7) Johns Hopkins University ($377.34 million)

8) Columbia University ($377.28 million)

9) Duke University ($332.03 million)

10) University of Wisconsin-Madison ($325.94 million)

Source: Council for Aid to Education 2007

SOUND BITE

'Rarely has a university president been able to identify with such precision the end of the honeymoon.'--College of William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol on the furor over him removing the Wren Chapel Cross.