Annual Giving

The University’s five-year Aspire capital campaign has raised a total of $1.26 billion or 72 percent of its $1.75 billion goal. This was as of Sept. 20, several months past the halfway mark of the campaign, which is scheduled to end June 2012.

Though the economy is still reeling after a few rough years, the 2009-10 Annual Giving campaign raised $48,582,819, the third highest total since its establishment in 1940. Surpassing this year’s initial goal of $46 million, the total was almost $4 million more than the $44.6 million raised during last year’s campaign. Undergraduate alumni participation also exceeded the 60 percent mark for the first time in a decade, with 60.8 percent of alumni making a donation.

The Annual Giving campaign has raised nearly $32 million with 44 percent alumni participation as of this week — falling short of its goal of $46 million and 60 percent participation — but is on track to meet its target, those involved in the campaign said, emphasizing that contributions made by alumni during Reunions weekend will likely add substantially to the fundraising totals.

In the last four years, alumni made an average of 8,500 gifts totaling roughly $13 million each June, William Hardt ’63, assistant vice president of development for Annual Giving, said in an e-mail.

The University’s Annual Giving fundraising campaign is making good progress toward its goals of raising $46 million and reaching a 60 percent participation rate among undergraduate alumni.