Pam Russell
director of communications
CASE
+1-202-478-5680
russell@case.org

For Immediate Release
Jan. 31, 2012

Fundraisers Predict Steady Growth in Giving to Education for 2012

Washington, D.C.—Fundraisers for schools, colleges and universities estimate that giving to their institutions grew 4.4 percent in 2011 and will grow an additional 4.6 percent in 2012, according to survey results released by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

The CASE Fundraising Index, or CFI, is conducted twice a year and asks fundraising professionals to estimate the level of charitable giving to their institutions for the 12-month period just ended and to predict the level for the 12 months ahead.

The 4.4 percent growth in giving estimated for 2011 at the end of the year is just over 1 percent lower than the 5.6 percent growth they predicted at its beginning, says John Lippincott, president of CASE. The 20-year average for year-to-year growth in actual giving is 5.6 percent.

"The optimism tied to the improving economy at the beginning of 2011 wasn't quite realized due to the volatility of the markets in the second half of the year," he said.  "While the direction of the economy and its impact on donors is still somewhat unpredictable, the good news is that fundraisers are seeing renewed growth in giving to education after the steep declines driven by the great recession."

Lippincott noted that fundraisers at private colleges and universities estimated greater growth in giving for 2011—5.0 percent—than did their counterparts at public institutions, who estimated growth of 3.1 percent.

Looking ahead to 2012, however, fundraisers at public institutions were more optimistic, predicting growth of 5.2 percent vs. the 4.3 percent predicted for private colleges and universities. Fundraisers at community colleges and private independent and secondary schools predicted between 4.5 and 4.8 percent growth in both 2011 and 2012. 

"Overall, the CFI gives us a strong early signal that giving will continue to grow steadily this year," Lippincott said. "The CFI predictions are made by fundraisers who are on the ground talking with donors every day, and clearly fundraisers are hearing donors express continued commitment to making education a focus of their philanthropy."

Lippincott stressed that the CFI percentages are averages and that performance at individual institutions will vary based on a variety of factors, such as the maturity of the fundraising program and whether or not the institution is in a campaign.

Lippincott said the CFI is intended to complement work being done by other organizations that provide detailed analyses of giving based on actual results reported several months after the close of the calendar or academic year. It is also intended to help fundraisers set preliminary benchmarks for past and future performance.

The CFI is based on an online survey of senior-level fundraising professionals at more than 2,100 CASE-member institutions in the United States conducted during the first weeks of January. The January CFI survey had a response rate of 7.6 percent. Results of the CFI since its inception in July 2008 can be found on the CASE website.

The 20-year average growth rate for giving to education is based on the Council for Aid to Education's annual Voluntary Support of Education survey.

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.

CASE was founded in 1974 and maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in London (CASE Europe, 1994), Singapore (CASE Asia-Pacific, 2007) and Mexico City (CASE América Latina, 2011).

Today, CASE’s membership includes more than 3,600 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in 76 countries around the globe. This makes CASE one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations in terms of institutional membership. CASE serves more than 70,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions and has more than 17,000 professional members on its roster.

To fulfill their missions and to meet both individual and societal needs, colleges, universities and independent schools rely on—and therefore must foster—the good will, active involvement, informed advocacy and enduring support of alumni, donors, prospective students, parents, government officials, community leaders, corporate executives, foundation officers and other external constituencies.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with all of these constituencies by providing relevant research, supporting growth in the profession and fostering support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern while promoting the importance of education worldwide.

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