Annual Giving achieves record alumni response

The University’s Annual Giving campaign raised $50,010,045 for the year 2010-2011, it announced in July, the second highest total in the campaign’s history. Undergraduate alumni participation reached 61.3 percent, with a total of 36,022 donors. This was the first year that undergraduate alumni participation passed 60 percent since 1969 and drew the largest ever number of alumni donors.

“I am deeply grateful to all the volunteers whose dedication made this splendid outcome possible and to our alumni, parents and friends for their loyalty and generosity,” President Shirley Tilghman said in a statement. “These unrestricted funds are critical to sustaining and expanding Princeton’s commitment to world-class teaching and research, while also helping us to meet the full financial needs of our students.”

The Class of 1986 set an all-time record for any class, and the highest total for a 25th Reunion, with a contribution of $9,001,986. The classes of 1976, 1941 and 1936 also set new records for their Reunion classes with donations of $4,061,976, $500,041 and $329,005 respectively.

Meanwhile, University parents did their part with $2,842,556 — also a record — and graduate alumni raised $1,461,729.

The Class of 1936 achieved the highest alumni participation in the campaign, with 100 percent of its 16 members donating $329,005. Closely behind was the Class of 1951 with 83.4 percent participation. A record emerged from the Class of 2010, which achieved an unprecedented participation rate of 83.3 percent among the youngest 24 classes and brought over 1,000 individual contributions to the campaign for the first time.

Next year’s Annual Giving campaign may raise even more money, with 94.2 percent, or 1,139 members, of the Class of 2011 pledging to donate to Annual Giving for the next four years.

The basic approach to Annual Giving stayed the same as last year, with all gifts going toward the University’s five-year Aspire capital campaign. Despite the economic downturn, participation declined only 1.5 percentage points since last year and donors contributions at similar to usual levels.

“Princeton is most fortunate that our alumni, parents and friends are so strongly committed to the University’s mission even in times of serious economic distress,” Assistant Vice President of Development for Annual Giving William Hardt said in an email.

Annual Giving raised $48.583 million in 2009-2010 and $44.598 million in 2008-2009. Total alumni participation increased this year from 60.8 percent in 2009-2010 and 57.7 percent in 2008-2009.

The University hopes to raise $1.750 billion over a five-year period as part of the Aspire campaign which began in 2007. At least $250 million of that total will come from Annual Giving.

Some of the campaign’s other goals according to its website include increasing faculty focus on energy, the environment and neuroscience; improving creative and performing arts offerings at the University; and increasing the accessibility of a University education to all qualified students regardless of financial background.