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

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in London, Singapore and Mexico City, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the professional organization for advancement professionals who work in alumni relations, communications, fundraising, marketing and other areas.

CASE is one of the largest nonprofit education associations in terms of institutional membership. Its membership includes more than 3,400 colleges, universities, independent elementary and secondary schools, and educational associates in 74 countries around the world. It serves nearly 65,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with their alumni and donors, raise funds for campus projects, produce recruitment materials, market their institutions to prospective students, diversify the profession and foster public 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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