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Does Size Really Matter?
Not When Measuring Gift Participation!

released: 10/24/02
It would be hard to argue with the statement that the more dollars an organization raises for its cause, the better. Larger gifts help achieve a fundraising goal more quickly. However, small gifts can also have a big impact when measuring and evaluating participation of a donor group. This is especially important to colleges like West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Alumni participation rate refers to the relationship between the total number of alumni and those who choose to make financial contributions back to their alma mater. Every year, colleges and universities report data relative to the receipt of gifts, including the participation rate of its alumni. College guides, such as U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges, use the participation rate as a measure of alumni confidence in their alma mater and the college's adherence to its goals and mission. Ranking as a Best College can impact whether a prospective student considers enrollment, and even more importantly, the attraction of potential grantors. While prospective students may place more importance on other ranking criteria, such as faculty resources or graduation performance rate, foundations and corporations often adopt a stance of helping those institutions that are well supported by those that know them best--alumni.

Wesleyan alumni Steve and Carolyn Shepler of Elkins exemplify this alumni commitment. "We attended West Virginia Wesleyan with the encouragement and support of our parents, the Wesleyan faculty and unknown benefactors. It is now our turn to become those silent partners of higher education." Grantors prefer to supply funding to institutions whose alumni express such emotions and follow through with a tangible recognition of this commitment.

West Virginia natives Greg Burnell '84 and Allyson Winters Burnell '85 of Raleigh, N.C. give back to their alma mater because Wesleyan opened the world to them. "We were exposed to the rich diversity of people, ideas and opportunities that were ours to pursue," they said, "Truly, Wesleyan changed the course of our lives. So much of what we have today is owed, in a large part, to West Virginia Wesleyan. By giving back, we can help provide that life-changing experience to others."

Many alumni, such as Fang "James" Liu '96, understand the importance of gifts. "It is important to give back because our gifts have a direct impact on the quality of a Wesleyan education for those that follow," he said, "I feel a desire to give back to Wesleyan because I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone at Wesleyan who gave me the opportunity to learn."

Last fiscal year alumni gift participation at Wesleyan increased from 18% to 20%, with over 2,550 alumni demonstrating their support for West Virginia Wesleyan College with their gifts. Goals for the current fiscal year include raising that participation rate to 22%. "We have some catching up to do, said Peggy Cooning, vice president for advancement. Compared to our peer institutions, we lag behind their average 30% alumni participation rate. We need to get this message out because I truly believe that Wesleyan alumni love and believe in their College far beyond average!"