An outpouring of generosity
In 2013–2014, annual giving was strong across Yale College and all of Yale’s graduate and professional schools, as alumni, parents, and friends contributed a record-breaking $35.2 million. These gifts provided immediately expendable, unrestricted funding for Yale’s core needs.
Giving to the Yale College Alumni Fund reached a new high of $20.25 million. Along with strong annual giving in the graduate and professional schools, these contributions supported financial aid, teaching, research, collections, and student life.
Alumni and parent volunteers were essential partners in fundraising for annual gifts. More than 2,130 class chairs and class agents volunteered for Yale College, the Graduate School, and the professional schools, making their own annual gifts and encouraging contributions from others.
At the helm was Randolph M. Nelson ’85, P ’13, P ’16, P ’17, who served a two-year term as chairman of the Yale Alumni Fund that concluded in June 2014. Nelson was an outstanding role model for donors, volunteers, parents, and students through his personal giving and his work with his class, where he was also co-chair of agents. He led the Alumni Fund to two consecutive records in revenue.
Challenges spur giving and participation
Among the highlights this year were special events and challenges that encouraged annual giving:
- In November 2013, alumni from all Yale College classes took part in the third annual Yale-Harvard Alumni Fund Participation Challenge to see which university could secure the highest number of gifts leading up to The Game. Yale alumni beat Harvard, 3,999 to 3,720, and there are high hopes for a repeat victory during the 2014 challenge prior to this year’s match up.
- In spring 2014, hundreds of Yale College volunteers reached out to their classmates during the eleven-day Bulldog Blitz campaign. Urging broad participation, one anonymous donor pledged a challenge gift of $100,000 if volunteers secured 1,000 donors. The final result was a record-breaking 2,865 gifts and pledge payments to the Alumni Fund totaling over $1.2 million.
Students take up the baton
Students were similarly enthusiastic in showing their support for Yale:
- In November 2013, students celebrated the generosity of donors by participating in the third annual Elihu Day. Visiting stations at Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the schools of Management, Divinity, Medicine, Music, Nursing, and Public Health, students signed over 1,000 personal thank-you cards, which were sent to a cross-section of annual donors. Many students also participated in a video thank-you message for supporters of the university. Elihu Day 2014 took place on October 15.
- The Yale College Class of 2014 displayed its school spirit through its Senior Class Gift campaign, achieving a participation rate of 96.6 percent and raising $33,387. Combined with challenge gifts from alumni and parents, the seniors’ gift brought a total of $308,000 to Yale.
- Many of the professional schools also conduct graduating class gift campaigns. Highlights this year included a participation rate of 96.7 percent for the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the first-ever graduating class gift to the School of Public Health.