Annual Fund Reaches Historical High

August 11, 2011

As the New England College community prepares for the fall semester, I wanted to share with you some very exciting news on the close of the fiscal year. I am happy to report that donations to the College’s annual fund were 61 percent higher in 2011 than in the previous year. The fiscal year 2011 increase is the largest in the College’s sixty-five year history. This dramatic percentage growth in giving not only easily surpassed the previous year’s total, but far exceeded the average increase among all colleges and universities nationally.

One of the cornerstones of any college or university’s financial strength is its annual fund program. Each year, New England College sets a goal based on the performance of previous years and the giving potential of donors identified for the coming year. In the past year, the College received $695,826 in unrestricted annual giving compared to $432,521 in the year prior, reflecting the unprecedented 61 percent increase.

To put this achievement into national perspective, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in its July 2011 issue of BriefCASE, reports that colleges and universities across the country received annual fund donations that were only approximately 4.7 percent higher than what was recorded in 2010. CASE regularly tracks and projects annual fund performance for its 2,100 member institutions. Locally, an informal survey of several New Hampshire colleges indicates results ranging from 4-5 percent lower than the previous year to 4-5 percent higher.

I greatly appreciate the generous support of everyone in the New England College community and all the work that went into this impressive accomplishment for the College. I look forward to the return of our students and to reconnecting with the community at Convocation in just a few short weeks.