Earlham Fund Outperforming Peers

In the midst of a bad economy, good news has come from Earlham's annual fund program.

At a time when annual funds at many colleges are experiencing significant declines in donations and alumni participation, Earlham's annual fund support has remained relatively strong despite the challenging economy.

As of May 5, unrestricted contributions to the Earlham Fund totaled $1,155,771 — just 2.2 percent behind last year's total of $1,175,645 on the same date. And, bucking a trend amongst colleges nationally, Earlham's alumni participation rate is actually ahead of last year's rate by about one percent. This is encouraging news, especially when donors everywhere are feeling the pinch of the worst recession in a generation.

"Experts tell us that at times like these, when donors have less expendable income to direct toward charitable causes, they tend to reduce the number of causes they support rather than radically reduce how much they give to the causes to which they feel the closest," says Kevin Klose, associate vice president for institutional advancement. "The fact that our alumni support has wavered very little — despite the worst fundraising climate I've experienced in my career as a fundraiser — is an indication of just how much Earlham alumni value the College, and how closely they hold Earlham to their hearts."

But Klose points out that, despite this relative good news, it is important that the College experience a strong close to the fundraising year, which ends on June 30, 2009.

"Unrestricted gifts to the Earlham Fund are always among the most important gifts the College receives – but even more so now. Quite literally, the gift that we receive from a donor today can be used tomorrow to fund important things like faculty salaries, financial aid for students, campus enhancements, or technology upgrades. At times like this, when our investment income has been significantly reduced because of what is happening in the U.S. economy, Earlham Fund gifts are invaluable to the College."