IRF Update - April 4, 2012

Register Today for the 20th Annual CASE Conference for Institutionally Related Foundations

You still have time to join more than 150 foundation leaders at the 20th annual CASE Conference for Institutionally Related Foundations, April 18–20, 2012, in Chicago.

"The Basics, The Best, The Next" is designed for executives at foundations affiliated with four-year public colleges and universities and community colleges. Registration, travel, hotel and program information are available on the CASE website.

Although the conference hotel, the Fairmont Chicago, is sold out for the dates of the conference, CASE has a list of alternative hotel locations on the conference web page.

See you in Chicago!

Accountants Can Earn Up to 12 CPE Credits at the 2012 CASE IRF Conference

Certified public accountants attending the upcoming IRF conference can earn up to 12 continuing professional education credits by attending CPE credit sessions.

The course level for the CPE sessions is Group-Live and no prerequisites or advance preparation is required. Only individuals registered for the conference can attend CPE sessions and earn CPE credit.

A list of CPE sessions with full descriptions and presenter names is available on the conference page. To receive CPE credit, conference attendees must sign in for each session as appropriate and remain for the entire session. Contact Brian Flahaven, CASE's director of legislative, foundation and recognition programs, at flahaven@case.org or 202-478-5617 for more information. See the CASE website for refund and program cancellation policies.

CASE is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Ave. North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 37219-2417. Website: www.nasba.org.

New White Paper Reports on Advancement Investments and Returns

The average return on an institution's investment of $1 in fundraising is $5.99, according to recently released results of the CASE Advancement Investment Metrics Study, or AIMS. The median return among 120 participating institutions in the United States is $4.86, although individual results ranged widely from $1.03 to $31.39.

The results of AIMS, which allows institutions to benchmark investments and staffing in all areas of advancement, are detailed in "Benchmarking Investments in Advancement: Results of the Inaugural CASE Advancement Investment Metrics Study (AIMS)," a new white paper available to CASE members with premier benefits.

Among other findings:

• The median investment in alumni relations per graduate is $11.46 for all institution types; bachelor's institutions tend to spend more per graduate than master's or doctoral institutions.
• The median overall investment in advancement is approximately 2.6 percent of an institution's total operating budget; results for participating institutions ranged from less than 1 percent to more than 8 percent.
• Overall, the greatest portion of the total investment in advancement, 47.7 percent, is dedicated to fundraising, followed by 16.0 percent to communications and marketing, 15.8 to advancement services, 12.1 percent to alumni relations and 8.4 percent to leadership/management.
• The median amount raised per fundraising staff member (including support staff) is $681,188.
• Institutions in campaigns generally invest more in fundraising but also see higher returns on the investment than those that are not in campaigns.

The AIMS white paper breaks out results by institution type as well as by campaign status and the maturity of the fundraising program. The formulas and definitions used to calculate the results are also included to allow institutions to benchmark their own investments and staffing. Participating institutions may benchmark with peer institutions within the CASE Benchmarking Toolkit.

Readers of the white paper are advised to interpret the findings of AIMS carefully, given the many factors that can influence individual results.

"A simplistic reading of one data point ... made in isolation from other points or the broader institutional context, can be misleading," the white paper states. "Instead, the report can help an institution understand where it fits within a range of other institutions on a number of benchmarks."

AIMS was conducted in 2011 and reports on data from the 2009–10 academic year. The next study, which will be open to colleges, universities and independent schools in the United States and Canada, will be conducted in fall 2012 and ask participants to report data from 2011–12. See the CASE website as well as the April issue of CURRENTS for more information about the study and how to participate.

CASE, Other Higher Ed Associations Launch Online Compliance Resource

Campus administrators and others charged with making sure their institutions comply with U.S. federal laws and regulations now have access to an online resource that aggregates compliance news and resources from 23 higher education associations.

The Higher Education Compliance Alliance website is a continuously updated resource for administrators and others on campus seeking to understand their compliance obligations.

CASE and other national higher education associations regularly monitor federal regulations and provide resources to help their members achieve compliance. Seeing this wealth of resources as an opportunity for collaboration, the National Association of College and University Attorneys spearheaded a partnership to create the Higher Education Compliance Alliance.

"The idea for the Higher Education Compliance Alliance grew out of growing interest and concern among NACUA members that pointed to a need for resources to assist them with compliance," says Kathleen Curry Santora, NACUA's chief executive officer. "Other associations shared this interest so the idea was born to gather the collective knowledge and resources of a wide range of associations in one place as a service to the higher education community."

Visit the Higher Education Compliance Alliance website for more information.

Headlines

Quiet Time on Capitol Hill Offers Opportunity for Charities
The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 27, 2012
According to Jerry McCoy, a lawyer who advises charities, and Andrew Schulz, vice president for government relations at the Council on Foundations, 2012 is a great time for charitable organizations to approach lawmakers about issues they are concerned with. During an election year, quite a bit of legislative action gets delayed, making this a time that lawmakers contemplate future legislative decisions. This creates opportunities to meet with policy makers. Schulz believes that "foundations and nonprofits need to be more engaged in policy discussions."  
Full Article

Mid-Level Administrative Pay Up 2 Percent
Inside Higher Ed, March 26, 2012
Recently released data show that the overall median base salary increase for mid-level administrative jobs in colleges and universities is up from 1.3 percent in 2010 to 2 percent in 2011. The median increase for public institutions was 1.4 percent, while the median increase for private institutions was 2.2 percent.  A chart is included in the article with the data on median salaries.
Full Article 

Republicans Outline Spending Ideas that Could Affect Nonprofits
The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 20, 2012
Republicans in the House have submitted a budget proposal that would decrease the number of tax brackets from six to two and "end credits, debits and loopholes." The proposal would cut $5 trillion from the president's 2012 budget proposal. It also outlines broad spending goals and doesn't "specify whether the charitable deduction should be among the tax breaks that are eliminated."
Full Article

Rural Community Colleges Battle Financial Squeeze
The New York Times, March 17, 2012
Western Texas College is feeling the effects of reductions in state assistance. This community college, as well as others in rural Texas, provides opportunities to local students who do not want to or are unable to go to a far-flung university. Such schools are using creative ways to stay open, and they are increasingly turning to estate planners and companies to help figure out their finances to ensure long-term survival.
Full Article 

State and Local Spending on Higher Education Reached a New 25-Year Low in 2011
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 16, 2012
A new report on higher education finance by the State Higher Education Executive Officers finds that enrollment in colleges has increased more than 10 percent nationally since the recession began but that state and local support has decreased by more than $1 billion during the same time frame. The report concludes that states and institutions should work together to try to reverse the decreasing public support for higher education or the economic future of the United States could be hurt.
Full Article

How can I receive the CASE IRF Update in my inbox?

Contact Brian Flahaven, director of legislative, foundation and recognition programs, at flahaven@case.org.