The number of alumni donors has more than doubled over the past 10 years, increasing the amount of alumni donations from $5,269,000 in 1995 to more than three times that number in 2005.

Evidence of alumni donations and involvement can be traced to the Alumni Association’s membership total of 9,300 in 2003, which has grown to approximately 21,000 in March 2006, according to Lennie Barton, associate vice chancellor of alumni relations.

Barton said the best way to judge giving is with a long-term analysis, rather than a year-to-year comparison.

According to Barton, large donations can affect results for years down the line. He said a dip in donations from year to year does not accurately reflect trends in donations to the University.

Although in annual comparisons these donations can cause a huge drop in percentage the next year, the University still benefits from themin the long run.

Paul Eberle, associate vice chancellor of advancement services, said alumni are coming forward and supporting the University in numbers as well as funds. He said some of this is due, in part, to the Acheive! campaign, publicly launched this past fall.

He pointed to a spike in alumni donations over the past 10 years, explaining that 38,345 donors contributed in 2005, contrasting the 1995 total of 18,223.

Before 1995, Eberle said most fundraising was done to fill the current needs, which created a “hand-to-mouth” strategy. There were no savings or endowments since the fundraising strategy did not provide the necessary funding to ensure long-term stability.

“Compared to some of the other universities, our endowment is modest,” he said.

However, around 1995 there was a dramatic upgrade, and the University became interested in the advancement program. It started with a goal of $40 million and has collected around $125 million to date.

According to the Acheive! Web site, the program is, among other things, working toward furthering outstanding academic programs, hiring world-renowned faculty, funding groundbreaking research and building state-of-the-art facilities.

David Jolley, interim associate vice chancellor for university development, said that because the Achieve! campaign encompasses giving to the University as a whole, alumni have responded to the campaign’s message.

Another major source of alumni revenue, according to Barton, is “having a specific target.” This target is the new alumni association center in the works. It will be built on Centennial Campus and is being funded entirely by private giving.

He said donors generally step up to help meet needs when there is real need to be met, and “alumni are really stepping up.”

So far, according to Barton, there have been more than 1,200 donors, and almost $19 million has been raised toward the $21 million goal.

“Our alumni know we really need a home for [them],” he said. “We want to be a world class alumni association in every sense of the word.”

There has also been a recent push for joining the organization, and Barton said that marketing toward alumni has been effective in spiking membership.

Along with membership, according to Eberle, “most of [the] targets are up.”

The goal for the ambitious Achieve! campaign, designed to raise $1 billion, has raised $800 million after a few months of the initiative’s publicized phase.

The funding solicited from the camapaign is divided into specific target areas with $312,232,686 allocated to faculty research.