4/12/2021
Despite a nationwide slowdown in fundraising, Ferrum College is on track to have a successful philanthropic year by exceeding last year’s giving numbers. Colleges and universities across the nation have felt the strain in fundraising over the last year due to COVID-19. According to a national Education Advisory Board survey, one in four institutions is experiencing a 30 percent or more decline in fundraising revenues, and over 50 percent report a significant slowdown in major giving.
“This feat won’t be easy and will require a successful fourth quarter, but if we can pull this off, Ferrum College will be in rare company among higher-ed institutions across the nation,” said Vice President for Institutional Advancement and External Relations Wilson Paine ’07.
This fiscal year-to-date, which runs from July 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021, Ferrum College has already exceeded last year’s total for athletics fundraising, which marked a previous school record. The College has also nearly doubled the total number of gifts received from 2019. “On March 31, 2019 we had received 970 gifts to the College, and we are already at close to 1,700 for this fiscal year,” Paine said, noting that over 350 of this year’s gifts came from first-time donors.
While Paine acknowledges that the College has seen a slowdown in major gifts, likely attributed to the persistence of the pandemic and the lack of face-to-face meetings, Ferrum College has found success through a number of mini-campaigns, including the Virtual Sell Out Adams Stadium campaign and Giving Tuesday. In two years, the College has grown its Giving Tuesday success from 42 gifts totaling $6,255 in 2018 to this past year when it raised $112,601 from 314 gifts.
“That we are in a position to exceed last year’s fundraising totals across a range of metrics (number of gifts, Ferrum Fund, overall giving, and athletics giving) is a testament to the hard work of our entire Institutional Advancement team and our loyal donor base who have answered the call to support Ferrum College during this challenging year,” said Paine, “The future is bright at Ferrum College, and I’m excited at what we will be able to accomplish over the last three months of the fiscal year and into next year.”
If you would like to make a gift to Ferrum College, please visit www.ferrum.edu/giving.
