Newsroom
Gifts to Oxy Set New Record
Occidental College raised a record $21.09 million in gifts in 2005-06, reaching record heights for a second consecutive year and marking seven years of steady growth that have seen overall giving increase by more than 240 percent.
The 2005-06 giving total edged last year’s previous record of $20.92 million. Altogether, four of the six best fundraising years in Occidental history have occurred since 2001 – none of which have been associated with a capital campaign.
The number of Occidental alumni making gifts has seen similar growth, rising from 29 percent in 1998-99 to 44 percent in 2005-06. That increase stands in marked contrast to a nationwide decline in the percentage of alumni making gifts since 2000-01, according to the Council for Aid to Education. Giving to Occidental’s Alumni Fund has grown threefold since 1998-99, from $1.15 million to $3.19 million.
“The growth in giving to Oxy during the past fiscal year was truly heartening,” said Jon Keates, vice president for institutional advancement. “The Katrina disaster justifiably claimed considerable philanthropic attention, and a balky stock market meant that our prospective donors weren’t troubled by an excess of appreciated securities -- unhappily. We feel very fortunate to have sailed successfully through these stormy seas.”
Although online gifts make up a small proportion of overall giving, donors’ use of the Internet increased substantially in 2005-06: the number of online gifts rose 31 percent over the previous year, while the dollar amount rose to almost $345,000, a 59 percent increase.