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By Larry B. Dendy
ldendy@uga.edu
Private giving to the university through the annual fund program set a new record last fiscal year as  donations totaled $6.6 million--a 20 percent jump over the previous year and the largest single-year increase ever.
The university also scored a new record for donors in a single year as 49,043 donors made gifts--a 7 percent increase over the previous year.
Contributions to UGA and all its affiliated entities campus-wide rose by 5 percent to $44.5 million. This includes 2 percent increases in direct contributions both to the university and to the University of Georgia Foundation.
Donations through the annual fund program, known as the Georgia Fund, included nearly $1.8 million in undesignated dollars, a 25 percent increase. UGA uses undesignated donations to meet urgent academic needs. A total of 258 people made annual fund gifts of $999 or more--a 73 percent increase in this category.
“Annual fund donations are the way most people assist the university financially,” says Kathryn Costello, senior vice president for external affairs. “The large increases in total contributions and number of donors indicate a broad level of support for our academic goals, and provide the foundation for the university to continue building toward even greater academic excellence.”
Gifts to UGA affiliate units, such as the 4-H program and the State Botanical Garden, totaled $630,443, a 33 percent increase. Gifts to the Georgia Student Educational Fund, which provides athletic scholarships, rose 16 percent to $10.1 million.
Almost $2.8 million of the $44.5 million total was donated through the University Partners program, which requires an annual minimum contribution of $2,500, of which at least $1,000 must be undesignated and used to meet needs not covered by other funding sources. The rest can be designated for a specific purpose.
About half of the 152 Partners donors last year were UGA faculty and staff members.
UGA President Michael F. Adams says the annual fund is often an indicator of how alumni feel about the condition of their alma mater.
“We are grateful for the strong support that this year’s annual fund indicates, and for the loyalty of our alumni and many friends,” Adams says.
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