University celebrates fundraising record
Student scholarships, groundbreaking research and new facilities are just a few of the positive benefits that have come out of the University of Louisville’s record-breaking fundraising in 2012 ‒ 13. July 19, 2013Private donors gave the university $162 million, an 11.8 percent increase over the previous year and the second year in a row where private giving exceeded state funding as a source of revenue.
“This extraordinary, record fundraising year not only looks great on paper, it looks even better when you hear the stories from students, faculty and other Kentuckians whose lives have been directly touched by donors’ generosity and their dollars,” said President James Ramsey.
The contributions are part of the university’s $1 billion fundraising campaign called “Charting our Course: A Campaign for Kentucky’s Premier Metropolitan Research University,” which concludes next summer. Through June 30, UofL had raised $825 million.
“More and more people are seeing the tremendous trajectory we’re on at UofL and want to be a part of it,” said UofL Vice President for Advancement Keith Inman. “We’re thankful to our donors for their faith in our institution.”
During the last fiscal year, UofL received donations from more than 29,000 individuals and other sources, a 5.7 percent increase over the previous year. Here are other facts and figures about the 2012 ‒ 13 fundraising effort:
- $200 – average gift
- $11,015,000 – largest gift
- 5,661 – number of first-time donors
- 14.4 ‒ percentage of alumni who donated (the average for public research institutions is 7 percent according to 2012 Blackbaud Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance)
The contributions are funding student scholarships like the Cardinal Covenant, Henry Vogt Scholarships, McConnell Scholars and Brown Fellows; research in health and life sciences; compensation for faculty; and continued improvement of university athletic programs and facilities.