In late May, near the end of what turned out to be one of 草莓社区鈥檚 best fundraising years, the named EMU a winner of an Overall Performance Award for fundraising excellence.
Total giving to EMU for the 2012-13 fiscal year was $6,277,000, a 24 percent increase from the $5,059,000 given to EMU in the previous year. The most recent fiscal year was the second-best year for overall fundraising in the past decade, behind $6,562,000 in total support in the 2005-06 fiscal year.
CASE recognized EMU as one of five 鈥渟uperior fundraising programs鈥� in its peer group, after a blind review of fundraising data over the past three years. Also recognized in EMU鈥檚 category were Abilene Christian University, Gonzaga University, the Rochester Institute of Technology and Union University.
鈥淓MU continues to benefit from a very loyal core of alumni donors and individual friends of the university,鈥� said , vice president for advancement. 鈥淲e are very pleased to report that our efforts to increase the giving participation of alumni and current parents continues to bear fruit.鈥�
The university was supported by a total of 3,830 donors last year, up from 3,565 the previous year. The number of alumni donor households increased from 1,942 to 1,995 from 2012 to 2013. Gifts from parents of current students increased from 53 to 86 over the same period, while gifts from parents of former students increased from 231 to 236.
The also enjoyed its best year to date, receiving more than $1.5 million in gifts and commitments last year. Through the end of June, the campaign had raised $5.9 million. Shisler anticipates reaching the campaign goal of $7 million during the current 2013-14 fiscal year.
Gifts to the , EMU鈥檚 unrestricted annual fund, totaled $1,767,000, while $358,000 was received in new gifts to the university鈥檚 endowment funds. The endowment funds support student financial aid, facilities maintenance and various academic programs.
鈥淓MU is especially fortunate to have a donor constituency of alumni and friends who support the institution in three significant ways,鈥� says Shisler. 鈥淸This happens] through consistent annual giving, through periodic capital giving to support our capital projects, and, increasingly, through people incorporating EMU into estate plans to make a major gift to EMU at the end of their lives.鈥�
Over the past year, 50 people included EMU in their estate plans, bringing the size of the to 547.
The alumni giving rate now stands at about 23 percent. That is well above the national average for all universities (13%), and compares favorably to EMU鈥檚 peer institutions in Virginia as well as other Mennonite colleges.