The University's 2000-01 annual giving campaign was a record-breaking one. From July 1, 2000, to June 30, 2001, the University received almost $37 million in gifts to the annual giving fund from alumni, parents and friends.
Almost two thirds of the University's undergraduate alumni participated in the 2000-01 campaign, a number that Director of Annual Giving Bill Hardt '63 said is "the top figure among major research universities."
Hardt said in an e-mail that "only a handful of colleges and universities have rates of participation that regularly exceed 50 percent."
Yearly donations to Annual Giving are crucial to addressing the needs of the University because they constitute unrestricted funds. Contributions are paid immediately in cash or stock and can therefore be distributed directly to "the educational bottom line" rather than to investment, Hardt said.
"[The contributions are] deployed to meet various high-priority needs and opportunities that have a direct impact on the quality of the educational experience here," Hardt said. He cited financial aid, faculty recruitment and retention, computing, library and laboratory resources and new academic programs as examples of the many applications of the Annual Giving collection's funds.
The majority of the contributors during the 2000-2001 campaign were members of the thirteen major reunion classes — those who celebrated their anniversaries during last June's festivities.
The Class of 1976, which celebrated its 25th reunion in the spring, raised an unprecedented $5,447,376, surpassing every other class in University history.
The Class of 1931 boasted the highest level of involvement for its 70th reunion, with 92.3 percent of surviving members contributing to this year's Annual Giving.
Graduate alumni and University students' parents were both well represented in the donor constituency, setting records at $716,778 and $1,634,645, respectively.
The unparalleled success of the past year's Annual Giving campaign did not surprise Hardt, who attributed the alumni community's generous response to both the "high degree of commitment, spirit and affinity among Princetonians generally" and to "the fact that so many people care enough to be willing to work hard and effectively as volunteer leaders of the campaign."
Hardt said that the tremendous impact of Annual Giving on the University community confirmed the campaign as a valuable resource that should not be underestimated.
"If the University had $36 million or $37 million less to work with on a continuing basis, what are the kinds of things that would be affected?" he asked. "It seems likely that the Trustees would have to look at some of the areas in which Princeton offers more than other colleges and universities — independent work, the student-faculty ratio, financial aid, etc."
Hardt also said the Annual Giving campaign was a demonstration of the dedication of the University family.
"I have every confidence that our donor constituencies understand very well that Princeton's distinction is at stake in the continued success of Annual Giving and will continue to make support of the University a high priority," he said.
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