UM donations decline over past three years

When it comes to charitable giving, Tennessee colleges, including The University of Memphis, have suffered a blow to the tune of 5 percent in 2011.

In contrast, donations to colleges and universities nationwide have increased by 8.2 percent in the past year, according to the Council for Aid to Education.

Donors choosing to put off making donations until after the stock markets rebounded last June served as a key factor in the decrease, said Ann Kaplan, director of volunteer support and education survey at the Council.

Since the 2009 school year, the charitable giving rates for The U of M have declined from $22.7 million to $19.9 million in the 2011 school year, according to the Council's research.

"Sometimes decline happens because an institution may have had amazing fiscal years, and the current year doesn't look that great," Kaplan said.

Jonathan Spiceland, director of The U of M's Annual Giving Department, said alumni participation in giving to The University remained the same last year compared to previous years.

"At a time when many colleges and universities across the country were experiencing significant decreases in alumni participation, we were pleased that ours held relatively steady at 6.8 percent in the 2010-2011 school year," he said.

The U of M had a total of 6,814 alumni gifts in 2011, five less than in 2010.

Bobby Prince, associate vice president for development, said donations to The U of M's decrease is nowhere near as close as the percentage of other universities across the nation.

"In the last fiscal year, The U of M has received support from constituents such as alumni, corporations, foundations and non-alumni citizens who are considered friends of The University," he said.

According to Prince, alumni make up roughly 25 percent of the donations.

Corporations and foundations make up 35 percent, and citizens who have no affiliation with The U of M make up 24 percent. The remaining percentage is composed of parents, faculty, community and religious organizations, and other groups.

In an effort to increase the annual giving, the Office of Development and the Alumni Association have developed student programs and events.

"In just it's first two years of existence, Common Cents, The U of M's student giving program, has already raised enough funds to purchase three pieces of artwork for the University Center and provide four scholarships to incoming freshmen," Spiceland said.

The University implemented their "Empowering the Dream" centennial campaign in September. The goal was to raise $250 million.

Spiceland said with that money, The U of M hopes to bring in top-notch faculty and students, add new facilities and establish crucial program support for different areas of study.