The College and its professional schools received more than $100 million in gifts -- a 10 percent increase over last year's total of $90.9 million -- during the institution's last fiscal year from July 1, 1996 to June 30, 1997.
Alumni donated gifts account for $44.6 million, while gifts from other individuals like parents, widows and widowers, spouses and friends total $37.3 million. Another $18 million came in from corporations and foundations, according to a press release from the Office of Public Affairs.
Dartmouth's Alumni Fund plays an integral part in the total fundraising effort and received $16,029,739 last year, eclipsing 1995-1996's record $13.9 million, according to the release.
Alumni Fund Director Jennifer Williams said this year's increase is the largest increase ever in the Alumni Fund's history.
She added that most of the increases in the last 20 years are between about one and six percent over the previous year's total but this year's increase represented a 16 percent increase.
Williams attributed the Alumni Fund success to Stephen Mandel '52, who served as last year's "aggressive and dynamic" new volunteer Alumni Fund chair.
Mandel raised more than $1 million from his 45th reunion class.
The Alumni Fund drew gifts from more than 25,300 alumni, parents and friends, with 50.2 percent of all College alumni participating and $773,793 coming from Dartmouth students' parents -- 9 percent more than last year, according to the release.
Williams said the large turnout was partially due to a new focus in soliciting gifts. "The main thing we did was work on raising larger gifts from the donors with highest capacity," she said.
In order to accomplish this goal, Williams said many people, including the Alumni Fund staff, volunteers and members of the Board of Trustees, became involved in soliciting donations.
In addition, staff from the capital campaign office also participated because they "generally tend to raise larger gifts," she said. Williams added that she was pleased with the overall success of the year's gifts.
Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Stanley Colla '66 said several factors contributed to last year's success.
Colla said the College is still reaping the benefits of the extremely successful Will to Excel capital campaign. College alumni, parents and friends are "still focused on supporting Dartmouth and its professional schools as well," he said.
He said the success is also due to the College's approach to gathering gifts from alumni that are in their reunion years. Colla explained that when classes have major reunions every five years after graduation, class members are asked to make a special gift -- "a stretch gift" -- to the College.
This year, Alumni Fund organizers asked a certain number of alumni, including those not in a reunion year, to make "leadership gifts."
One of the stretch gifts this year was the largest single gift ever given to the Alumni Fund in its 83-year history, a $350,000 gift from Diana and Bruce Rauner '78. Colla described the Rauner donation as "an extraordinary gift of generosity" which will serve as an example to other alumni.
Colla said the donations to the Alumni Fund go to the College's operating budget which pays for salaries, heat and light is also a financial cushion which allows Dartmouth to take advantage of opportunities that administrators did not foresee at the beginning of the year. President Bill Clinton's speaking at Commencement in 1996 and sharp increases in oil prices are two examples of such unexpected situations that can be funded by Alumni Fund money.
