2008 Woodie Awards
CASE honors LU with national fundraising award
Carolyn Schultz
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
Recently, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) honored Lawrence with a 2008 Circle of Excellence award for Educational Fundraising. This prestigious award, in the category of Overall Improvement, was based on diverse criteria, including quality of fundraising programs, creativity, use of resources and the impact the university has on its internal and external communities. The award incorporates input and satisfaction ratings from alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff of the university.
Lawrence was one of only a handful of schools chosen from a pool of more than 3,500 entries from 766 institutions to receive the "Overall Improvement" award. According to Cal Husmann, Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations, "this award comes during a major capital campaign for the university." Lawrence has raised over 101 million dollars during the last three years. The national recognition may help to bolster and support the university as it enters the "Light More Light" fundraising campaign, beginning later this fall.
The CASE award was based on Lawrence's improvement between fiscal years 2005 and 2007. In 2005, the university raised $7,474,000 in gifts and increased the amount to $21,345,000 in 2007. During the survey years, 49 percent of all donations were from alumni. Lawrence has consistently ranked among the nation's best when it comes to alumni donations and involvement in the university. In 2007, the national average for alumni gifts was 26.8 percent, according to Target Analytics Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance.
"Lawrence University is an excellent school," said Husmann. "Students get first rate educational experiences…we have great academic and artistic programs." People want to support Lawrence because of the education and wealth of opportunities it provides for its students, faculty and alumni. "The bulk of donations, 92 percent, comes from individuals, and the majority of those gifts are from alumni," said Husmann. Husmann shares the views of former university president, Richard Warch, that, "if the alumni don't support the university, why should anyone else?"
Lawrence was one of only a handful of schools chosen from a pool of more than 3,500 entries from 766 institutions to receive the "Overall Improvement" award. According to Cal Husmann, Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations, "this award comes during a major capital campaign for the university." Lawrence has raised over 101 million dollars during the last three years. The national recognition may help to bolster and support the university as it enters the "Light More Light" fundraising campaign, beginning later this fall.
The CASE award was based on Lawrence's improvement between fiscal years 2005 and 2007. In 2005, the university raised $7,474,000 in gifts and increased the amount to $21,345,000 in 2007. During the survey years, 49 percent of all donations were from alumni. Lawrence has consistently ranked among the nation's best when it comes to alumni donations and involvement in the university. In 2007, the national average for alumni gifts was 26.8 percent, according to Target Analytics Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance.
"Lawrence University is an excellent school," said Husmann. "Students get first rate educational experiences…we have great academic and artistic programs." People want to support Lawrence because of the education and wealth of opportunities it provides for its students, faculty and alumni. "The bulk of donations, 92 percent, comes from individuals, and the majority of those gifts are from alumni," said Husmann. Husmann shares the views of former university president, Richard Warch, that, "if the alumni don't support the university, why should anyone else?"
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