Annual Giving

Annual giving sets new records

In 2012–2013, alumni, parents, and friends were spectacularly generous across Yale College and all of Yale’s graduate and professional schools, providing current use, unrestricted support to meet the needs of faculty and students.

Counted in the $34.0 million annual giving total, the Yale College Alumni Fund reached a new, all-time high of $19.3 million. The Parents Annual Fund set a new record of $2.9 million, and the Graduate School Alumni Fund reached its second-highest total with over $1 million. Donors also set new annual fund revenue records in the Divinity School, the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and the School of Public Health.

Year after year, such contributions provide vital funding for financial aid, teaching, research, collections, and other needs across the university.

Challenges raise the bar on giving

Alumni and parents led the way to a banner year by not only giving, but also encouraging annual contributions from others. More than 2,300 class chairs and class agents volunteered for Yale College, the Graduate School, and the professional schools. Giving challenges brought a competitive edge to their efforts:

  • In November 2012, alumni from the classes of 1998 to 2012 took part in the second annual Yale-Harvard Alumni Fund Participation Challenge to see which school could secure the highest number of gifts leading up to The Game. Yale alumni were barely edged out by Harvard, 1,010 to 938, raising the stakes for Elis aiming to beat Harvard this year.
  • Hundreds of Yale College volunteers participated during April 2013 in the eight-day Bulldog Blitz campaign, reaching out to their classmates to encourage annual gifts to Yale. One anonymous donor pledged a challenge gift of $100,000 if volunteers secured 1,000 donors—a goal that was handily surpassed. The final result was a record-breaking 2,118 gifts and pledge payments to the Alumni Fund totaling over $1 million.
Lessons in generosity

Current students were quick to recognize the importance of giving:

  • In November 2012, students from Yale College and the schools of Divinity, Forestry & Environmental Studies, Medicine, Music, Nursing, and Public Health took part in the second annual Elihu Day. Over 1,000 personal thank-you cards were sent to a cross-section of alumni, parents, and friends who have supported the university.
  • The Yale College Class of 2013 conducted an energetic Senior Class Gift campaign, achieving a participation rate of 96.1 percent and raising $39,069. Alumni and parents weighed in with challenge gifts to increase the impact of the gift to $248,240, which was presented to the university on Class Day.
  • In the Yale School of Management, 97 percent of graduating students participated in the Class Gift, raising $335,824 in gifts and pledges, and the Yale Divinity School Senior Class Gift was its largest ever at over $13,022.

Leadership annual giving

Level

Donors

Nathan Hale Leaders Circle  
   Fourth Century Associates ($50,000 or more) 64
   Woodbridge Associates ($25,000–$49,999) 118
Hillhouse Associates ($15,000–$24,999) 125
Sterling Associates ($10,000–$14,999) 430
Harkness Associates ($5,000–$9,999) 868
Elihu Yale Associates ($2,500–$4,999) 1,056
Woolsey Associates ($1,000–$2,499)* 5,288

*Yale College classes up to five years following graduation qualify at $250; Yale College classes six to ten years following graduation qualify at $500.

 

Annual giving to Yale College

 

Participation

Annual Gifts

Yale College Alumni Fund 32.9% $19,272,276
Parents Annual Fund 39.2% $2,935,714

Annual giving to the graduate and professional schools

School

Participation

Annual Gifts

Architecture 24.1% $281,835
Art 12.6% $89,919
Divinity 30.4% $443,741
Drama 19.1% $301,339
Engineering & Applied Science 15.3% $97,201
Forestry & Environmental Studies 28.5% $282,053
Graduate School 14.5% $1,006,116
Law 36.0% $6,417,477
Management 41.7% $1,590,082
Medicine 30.1% $945,343
Music 12.7% $56,720
Nursing 24.4% $159,175
Public Health 17.3% $148,183

Yale College annual giving by class (1932–1979)

Yale College

Class

Annual Giving

Participation

Annual

Gifts

Alumni Fund

Endowment Income

1932–1939 N/A $27,869 $9,712,074
1940 49.1% $21,770 $884,015
1941 39.2% $22,097 $516,223
1942 50.6% $72,715 $641,104
1943 44.1% $38,367 $1,267,126
1944 49.3% $70,480 $2,003,864
1945 46.2% $48,525 $258,240
1945W 42.0% $68,061 $317,191
1946 35.1% $22,030 $92,507
1947 46.3% $32,889 $57,878
1948 35.3% $178,729 $157,670
1949 52.6% $123,434 $180,695
1950 50.9% $195,332 $268,928
1951 84.3% $196,792 $177,866
1952 75.7% $279,205 $162,279
1953 55.0% $553,283 $139,438
1954 59.9% $208,279 $522,865
1955 55.0% $259,790 $160,707
1956 48.5% $248,580 $255,414
1957 59.3% $328,057 $218,500
1958 50.3% $450,319 $219,772
1959 51.1% $344,721 $214,401
1960 40.0% $333,877 $199,038
1961 44.0% $205,015 $159,080
1962 39.7% $321,725 $27,211
1963 57.6% $1,198,284 $102,716
1964 43.4% $239,191 $197,184
1965 38.3% $217,252 $36,907
1966 64.8% $386,460 $36,072
1967 32.3% $205,474 $65,353
1968 43.4% $796,804 $45,492
1969 34.9% $308,579 $26,144
1970 30.6% $164,985 $12,932
1971 31.7% $279,200 $40,199
1972 29.5% $277,562 $3,598
1973 29.1% $480,034 $35,735
1974 28.0% $275,705 $5,219
1975 25.9% $309,275 $23,762
1976 27.5% $274,009 $23,925
1977 24.5% $269,741 $1,956
1978 25.7% $495,287 $5,032
1979 27.7% $373,343 $694

Yale College annual giving by class (1980–1989)

Yale College

Class

Annual Giving

Participation

Annual

Gifts

Alumni Fund

Endowment Income

1980 26.8% $622,051 $6,947
1981 26.7% $403,292 $4,746
1982 25.6% $408,827 $946
1983 30.7% $594,044 $172
1984 27.9% $423,831 $55,146
1985 40.4% $750,976 $2,756
1986 26.3% $439,676 $187,344
1987 24.1% $397,132 $344
1988 28.3% $615,750 $474
1989 32.4% $340,971 $17

Yale College annual giving by class (1990–1999)

Yale College

Class

Annual Giving

Participation

Annual

Gifts

Alumni Fund

Endowment Income

1990 29.0% $270,518 $1,739
1991 26.4% $259,021 $93
1992 24.2% $244,604 $1,051
1993 27.4% $343,352 $38,942
1994 28.7% $250,648 $70
1995 24.3% $204,330 $34
1996 21.7% $168,523 $50
1997 22.8% $134,567 $113
1998 23.9% $233,676 $24
1999 24.2% $145,566 $49

Yale College annual giving by class (2000–2013)

Yale College

Class

Annual Giving

Participation

Annual

Gifts

Alumni Fund

Endowment Income

2000 22.1% $113,511 $33
2001 22.0% $110,633 $0
2002 20.7% $76,495 $0
2003 27.7% $125,675 $0
2004 27.8% $81,737 $0
2005 21.7% $42,376 $0
2006 25.5% $43,447 $0
2007 24.2% $43,397 $0
2008 28.1% $47,065 $0
2009 23.9% $19,240 $0
2010 25.8% $31,307 $0
2011 26.3% $20,865 $0
2012 31.2% $19,157 $0
2013 96.1% $39,069 $0