William & Mary receives $43.6 million in private gifts
A record number of donors contribute to fundraising success for FY 2012
Supporters of the College of William & Mary gave $43.6 million during fiscal year 2012, which ended on June 30. The effort represents a 6.5 percent increase from fiscal year 2011, which was $41 million. For the first time in the university’s history, William & Mary has topped $40 million in private gifts for each of four consecutive years.
Total giving to William & Mary during the fiscal year, including gifts and commitments, was $80.1 million. More than 30,300 individuals, corporations and foundations gave to the College during fiscal year 2012, breaking a record set last year, when more than 28,600 individuals, corporations and foundations made gifts. The College also reached new highs in alumni giving. Nearly 18,000 alumni gave gifts last year, including 13,884 undergraduate alumni, or 23.6 percent of the overall undergraduate alumni population. William & Mary has one of the very highest undergraduate alumni participation rates among public universities.
“We continue to press forward strongly on the philanthropic front,” said William & Mary President Taylor Reveley. “W&M is grateful to all those who contributed during the fiscal year that ended June 30. As financial pressures continue to grow on American higher education, especially state schools, the College depends increasingly on support from alumni and friends to sustain its excellence as a public ivy. Indeed, the abiding loyalty and commitment of W&M people to the College will be absolutely central to its future.”
Gifts to William & Mary’s various annual funds increased 8.3 percent in fiscal year 2012. Annual or unrestricted gifts provide the College with the greatest flexibility to meet its most pressing needs.
The continued growth in giving to the College is encouraging, officials said. Gifts to the College demonstrate the increasing awareness among alumni and friends of the impact and importance of their giving, according to Sean Pieri, vice president for University Development.
“These gifts provide direct support for priorities that make William & Mary great, including small class sizes, outstanding faculty, student research and need- and merit-based scholarships,” he said. “We are working hard to improve the already exceptional William & Mary experience, and generous alumni and friends will continue to play a leading role in those efforts.”
