Small donations rise with new direct-mail campaign
Katie Rose McEneely
Issue date: 3/11/10 Section: News
More and more people are giving to Hillsdale College.
The college has received 47,182 donations this year, and four months remain in the fiscal year, Director of Advancement Services and Proposals for Institutional Advancement Nancy Johnson said.
During the same period last year, there were 27,018 gifts.
This surge in small donations does mean the college has increased its revenue - rather, it reveals the success of a new facet of fundraising. Associate Vice President for Strategic Marketing Christopher Bachelder said a new direct-mail campaign designed to attract small donations has dramatically increased the amount of potential donors the college contacts.
"The project Bachelder is working on has significantly increased the number of gifts," Johnson said. "We normally receive 25,000 to 33,000 gifts per year."
Bachelder's direct-mail program has especially increased the volume of $5, $10 and $20 donations, Johnson said.
Johnson said the new direct-mail campaign differs from the college's historical approach of fundraising in that it addresses a broader audience.
"In Institutional Advancement, the kind of direct mail we do most of the time is more targeted than that," focusing on a potential donor's interest in a particular aspect of Hillsdale College, she said.
She said the college plans to continue using the traditional direct mail methods alongside of Bachelder's project; "we have to continually cultivate our donor pool," she said.
Gifts the college receives fall into one of two categories: non-current and operating gifts. "The non-current funds are gifts that will go into endowment funds, loan funds, building funds, and are used specifically for their designated purpose," Treasurer Ken Cole said. Operating gifts, he said, are used for the day-to-day costs of keeping the college running, such as utilities and the electric bills.
Cole said despite the increase in small donations, the college is slightly behind in its fundraising, according to the fiscal data from February. He said this was not cause for concern.
"We've received approximately $10,800,000 [for operating gifts], compared to $12,300,000 at the same time last year. It's a timing thing-it's not too bad when you look at about a million and a half difference," he said. "In non-current funds, the college has roughly $15.1 million in hand for this year, compared to about $31.8 million last year."
Cole said the college is ahead of what was budgeted for operaating costs this fiscal year.
"These are really difficult financial times-the fact the Hillsdale continues to raise money is pretty amazing. A lot of people work hard to make that happen," Johnson said.
The college has received 47,182 donations this year, and four months remain in the fiscal year, Director of Advancement Services and Proposals for Institutional Advancement Nancy Johnson said.
During the same period last year, there were 27,018 gifts.
This surge in small donations does mean the college has increased its revenue - rather, it reveals the success of a new facet of fundraising. Associate Vice President for Strategic Marketing Christopher Bachelder said a new direct-mail campaign designed to attract small donations has dramatically increased the amount of potential donors the college contacts.
"The project Bachelder is working on has significantly increased the number of gifts," Johnson said. "We normally receive 25,000 to 33,000 gifts per year."
Bachelder's direct-mail program has especially increased the volume of $5, $10 and $20 donations, Johnson said.
Johnson said the new direct-mail campaign differs from the college's historical approach of fundraising in that it addresses a broader audience.
"In Institutional Advancement, the kind of direct mail we do most of the time is more targeted than that," focusing on a potential donor's interest in a particular aspect of Hillsdale College, she said.
She said the college plans to continue using the traditional direct mail methods alongside of Bachelder's project; "we have to continually cultivate our donor pool," she said.
Gifts the college receives fall into one of two categories: non-current and operating gifts. "The non-current funds are gifts that will go into endowment funds, loan funds, building funds, and are used specifically for their designated purpose," Treasurer Ken Cole said. Operating gifts, he said, are used for the day-to-day costs of keeping the college running, such as utilities and the electric bills.
Cole said despite the increase in small donations, the college is slightly behind in its fundraising, according to the fiscal data from February. He said this was not cause for concern.
"We've received approximately $10,800,000 [for operating gifts], compared to $12,300,000 at the same time last year. It's a timing thing-it's not too bad when you look at about a million and a half difference," he said. "In non-current funds, the college has roughly $15.1 million in hand for this year, compared to about $31.8 million last year."
Cole said the college is ahead of what was budgeted for operaating costs this fiscal year.
"These are really difficult financial times-the fact the Hillsdale continues to raise money is pretty amazing. A lot of people work hard to make that happen," Johnson said.
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