UI Foundation has record givers in 2010

IOWA CITY -- More donors to University of Iowa athletics, the UI Carver College of Medicine and the UI Children's Hospital helped drive the total number of donors to a record level in fiscal year 2010.

The UI Foundation had more donors -- 73,332 -- than ever before in fiscal 2010, which ended June 30, officials said Friday. That was an increase of nearly 10,000 donors from the previous year. Of that growth, about 4,000 additional donors gave to the Carver College of Medicine, while another 3,200 gave to UI Hospitals and Clinics, which includes the Children's Hospital. The Athletics Department and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences each saw about 1,000 new donors.

"It's wonderful," UI Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Lynette Marshall said. "It's gratifying to see the kind of support that's been continuing, everything from the person who gives $100 a year to magnificent commitments."

The number of gifts made to the UI Foundation rose by 16.7 percent in 2010 over the previous year, from 102,569 to 119,706.

The UI Foundation raised $169.6 million in outright and deferred gifts for areas throughout the university,  its third-best year ever. It was 1.9 percent below the previous fiscal year's total, which was the second-best total ever.

Officials were thrilled with the 2010 results, Marshall said, especially considering the tough economy of the past several years.

Private gifts and grants made directly to the UI in fiscal year 2010 totaled $21 million, bringing combined UI and UI Foundation fundraising for the year to $190.6 million.

The UI and the UI Foundation are in the planning stages for the next large fundraising campaign. For the purpose of setting priorities for the campaign, officials are using a working goal of $1.5 billion, though that could change. A public kickoff for the new campaign likely won't happen until 2013, at the earliest, officials said.