GW alumni, parents and friends contributed more than $113.5 million to the university in fiscal year 2011, GW’s most successful fundraising year to date. According to the Division of Development and Alumni Relations, this total represents a 21 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. In addition, the total number of donors increased by more than 8 percent.
More than $18 million in gifts were designated to the Power & Promise fund – a 23 percent increase over fiscal year 2010. The Power & Promise fund provides need- and merit-based scholarships to qualified undergraduate and graduate students who wish to attend GW.
Major gifts included $8 million from A. James Clark to fund the A. James Clark Engineering Scholars program, and Albert Small’s donation of his Washingtoniana Collection and $5 million to support the construction and renovation of the GW museum.
The university also saw the highest level of participation ever in senior class gift giving. Almost 43 percent of the senior class (a 5 percent increase over last year) participated and helped raise more than $90,000, which includes matching gifts from the Luther Rice Society Advisory Council and GW trustees.
In 2011, the university celebrated the completion of the $10 million challenge gift from the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation, the Charles E. Smith Family Foundation and Robert P. and Arlene R. Kogod. The gift challenged the university to raise $10 million, which would then be matched dollar for dollar. The challenge was met, and the resulting total of $21 million is the most ever raised for a single project at GW. Fundraising for the Charles E. Smith Center continues.
GW’s record-setting growth of 21 percent last year exceeded the 10 or 15 percent growth that Michael Morsberger, vice president for development and alumni relations, had anticipated for this year.
“This has been an incredibly exciting year,” said Mr. Morsberger. “This demonstrates the overwhelming support of our community for this great university. We’ve said all along that there is something special happening at GW, and clearly our donors want to be a part of it.”