Annual Fund Report, Winter 2008–2009
February 9, 2009
Students and University Are Grateful for Donors' Generosity
When you make a donation to Brigham Young University, 100 percent goes to the priorities to which you direct your gift—no administrative or overhead costs are deducted; this perfect percentage means that dollar for dollar your donations benefit students.
The BYU Annual Fund exists to facilitate regular giving to the university by alumni and other friends. Each year the fund aggregates many donations from thousands of supporters. In 2008, more than 19,000 degreed alumni gave to BYU. The percentage of alumni who donate has stayed near 20 percent for the last several years; this percentage puts BYU first for alumni giving to universities with more than 300,000 alumni, according to the national Voluntary Support of Education Report.
David J. Smith, director of the BYU Annual Fund, says, "Donations truly bless the university and its students, and those who give can feel good about what they're doing."
In 2008, 55 percent of the money donated to the Annual Fund went to university-wide priorities (including mentored-student learning), 39 percent was divided among the university's colleges and schools to fund student-focused priorities, and 6 percent went to the university's general scholarship fund. Every fund-raising priority at BYU is approved as such by the BYU Board of Trustees, which is chaired by President Thomas S. Monson.
Thank You for Giving
Students who benefit from gifts to the Annual Fund represent every college at BYU. For example, Elizabeth Lobendahn graduated in December 2008 from the David O. McKay School of Education with a degree in special education. Lobendahn worked through college to pay for living expenses, but gratefully she received a scholarship that helped with tuition. To those who made her education possible, she says, "Your generosity was an answer to my prayers."
Of the BYU Annual Fund, President Cecil O. Samuelson has said: "We make tremendous efforts to encourage and involve people of all financial walks of life in supporting the university. We believe that just as in the story of the widow's mite, every contribution is significant."
President Samuelson continues: "Donations specifically to the BYU Annual Fund provide the university with millions of dollars each year. The need is annual, and so the solicitation is annual. The fund's goals are to increase the number of alumni who donate each year and, by so doing, increase funding for BYU Board of Trustees-approved priorities, in addition to raising the number of scholarships and mentorships available."
