Higher Ed: Hard Times Ahead?

As freshman numbers come in soft for Fall 2012 (see my earlier blog this morning), charitable giving has stagnated.

http://chronicle.com/article/Charitable-Donations-Barely/132375/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Though some are predicting a rebound.

http://dunhamandcompany.com/2012/01/dunhamcompany-study-shows-charitable-giving-should-continue-to-rebound-in-2012/

Gifts to colleges are actually up.

http://chronicle.com/article/Gifts-to-Colleges-Rose-82-in/130786/

Council for Aid to Education

215 Lexington Avenue Contact: Ann E. Kaplan

New York, NY 10016 212-217-0875

www.cae.org akaplan@cae.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

12:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

RAISE $30.30 BILLION IN 2011

8.2 PERCENT INCREASE FUELED BY GIFTS FOR CAPITAL PURPOSES

Contributions to the Nation’s Colleges and Universities at $30.30 Billion

Charitable contributions to colleges and universities in the United States increased 8.2 percent in

2011, reaching $30.30 billion, according to results of the annual Voluntary Support of Education

(VSE) survey. The findings were released today by the Council for Aid to Education (CAE).

Adjusted for inflation, giving increased 4.8 percent.

Giving for capital purposes, such as endowments and buildings, increased 13.6 percent (10.1

percent, adjusted for inflation). Giving for current operations increased 4.7 percent (1.4 percent,

adjusted for inflation).

The growth in contributions is a particularly welcome development as it follows declining or

stagnant levels of giving in recent years. Still, giving accounted for only 6.5 percent of college

expenditures in 2011, and giving for current operations, the dollars that can be used immediately

to offset current-year expenses, accounted for 3.8 percent of expenditures.

Top 20 Fundraising Institutions Report Sharply Higher Giving

The 20 institutions that raised the most in 2011 received $8.24 billion—15.8 percent more than

they raised in 2010. The top 20 institutions in 2011 are not exactly the same institutions as the

top 20 in 2010. The 2011 top 20 raised 15.3 percent more than the top 20 institutions raised in

2010.

The top 20 institutions in 2011 represent 2 percent of the 1,009 survey respondents. However,

contributions those 20 institutions received account for 27.2 percent of all 2011 gifts to higher

education institutions. Moreover, the increase in giving to these 20 institutions ($1.12 billion)

accounts for nearly half of the increase ($2.30 billion) to all institutions.

In 2011, Stanford University raised more from private donors than any other university, followed

by Harvard University and Yale University.