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Half of all alumni
contribute to Furman
Last year when the Development Department and volunteers convinced 50.2 percent of Furman alumni to contribute to their alma mater, there was cause for great celebration.
After all, 50 percent participation was a benchmark achieved by only a handful of colleges and universities. And the level represented a nearly 6 percent increase from 1996-97.
But reaching 50.1 percent this year was even more gratifying, says Phil Howard, director of the Furman Fund.
"Last year, we had the Herring Challenge to help entice alumni to give," he says. "This year we did not. It was a very plain vanilla year in terms of what we could offer."
The Herring Challenge, issued by alumni Gordon and Sarah Herring, helped increase alumni giving during 1996-97 as the Herrings pledged to match any alumni gift of $10 or more with their own contribution of $25. During 1997-98, the Herrings matched any alumni gift of at least $10 with a contribution of $15; for alumni who had not contributed the previous fiscal year, the Herrings matched their gift with a $100 contribution.
During 1997-98, 10,680 alumni contributed $1.25 million, compared to 10,699 contributing $1.47 million during 1998-99. More than 300 volunteers and 20 staff members worked on this year’s campaign.
"I knew that we were capable of making it," says Howard. "If I had to bet my life savings I would have bet on 48 or 49 percent. But our staff and volunteers really dug in and Furman alumni responded."
Just like last year, the outcome was in question until the very end. Development logged the call that pushed the giving level over the 50 percent benchmark on the final day of the fiscal year, with one hour to spare.
Howard says that donations ranging from $10 to $25 are the backbone of the Furman Fund. "We would have trouble hitting 35 percent without those," he says.
The level of giving places Furman among the top universities in the country in terms of the percentage of alumni who supporting their alma mater financially.
Some external funding sources and publications use the percentage of alumni participation in determining recipients of grants and gifts and in determining national rankings of colleges and universities. U.S. News & World Report, for example, uses alumni participation as one of many factors in determining its well-publicized rankings.
Top five classes in 1998-99 participation
Class percentage
1942 88.54
1941 76.74
1947 73.33
1956 70.14
1950 69.66