Fund-raising revenue at historic highs
February 2007
With five months remaining in the 2006-07 fiscal year, I am very pleased to report that DePaul’s Office of Advancement has exceeded its aggressive $20 million annual goal—already outstripping any previous year’s fund-raising efforts and underscoring the leading role philanthropic giving plays in our VISION twenty12 strategic plan.
Senior Vice President for Advancement Mary Finger and her hard-working staff are to be commended for turning up the volume on our development communications and outreach activities to convince more alumni and friends than ever before to contribute materially to DePaul's mission.
DePaul's mission has always been to make the highest quality education available to a diverse student population regardless of the individual's ability to pay. Without the sustaining support of our alumni and friends to build the university's endowment, provide scholarships and otherwise augment students' and their families' contributions, we cannot hope to be able to continue providing the excellent educational opportunities that DePaul is known for.
Some of the fund-raising highlights so far this year include:
- $10.5 million has been raised of a target $16 million goal for The Real Estate Center.
- The $5 million challenge grant created by DePaul Trustee Harrison I. Steans to establish the Irwin W. Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning was successfully completed last month.
- Almost $11 million, including a $9 million grant from the Illinois Capital Development Board, sponsored by Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan, has been raised toward the $20 million Campaign for Excellence in Science, which will provide for a new science building, scholarships and programs in science.
- More than $1.1 million has been raised to date toward the Coleman Foundation's $1.5 million gift challenge in support of the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. To complete the challenge, the Center intends to raise the remaining $400,000 by June 2008.
- And finally, $3.9 million was raised for the Sullivan/McGrath Campaign to support excellence in DePaul's athletic programs.
In all, alumni giving is up 25 percent over this time last fiscal year, individual giving is up 23 percent, and corporate and foundation giving is up 63 percent. I deeply appreciate the generosity of all of our donors. Their gifts will help us achieve the bold vision of our strategic plan.
