With the help of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College alumni, students, employees and friends, the institution celebrated the most successful year of fundraising in its history.
In the 2020-2021 fiscal year, SMWC was gifted $6,975,958 by more than 2,400 donors. Included in this total are 16 grants, several of which help make up a significant portion of the overall gifts. The Woods Fund, the College’s unrestricted fund, continued to be strong, even in the face of challenging fundraising times during the pandemic.
Catherine Saunders ’98, associate vice president for advancement, reflected on the trends and changes in the giving numbers and said it made her emotional.
“The adage ‘success begets success’ is so true at SMWC,” Saunders said. “Successes are built upon. Successes inspire. Progress and growth increase our ability to effect change in the lives of our students. Our students become graduates affecting change in their communities and giving back to The Woods. It’s a beautiful cycle that I am blessed to be a part of.”
Campaign gifts and grants have contributed to the College’s diversification of resources to benefit the students and their experience. For the fiscal year 2021, $4.1 million was received in grant support, including two competitive Lilly Endowment Inc. initiatives. These grants support retention and mental health resources for students and launch the College’s first doctoral program. In addition, just over $1 million was gifted in campaign capital initiatives and infrastructure support. These funds have led to such improvements as the restoration of the historic gate, renovation of 12 student bathrooms in Le Fer Hall, the reroofing of Rooney Library, the building of the Butler Outdoor Classroom and work to update a variety of campus infrastructure needs such as outdoor lighting and updating boiler lines.
The Woods Fund totaled $1,130,349 from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021. Nearly 800 donors supported the institution on Woods Giving Day, SMWC’s day of giving each year in February.
“The success of Woods Giving Day is all thanks to our students, alumni, friends and the community,” said Jenifer Wright ’17, director of annual giving. “The day is about giving and, just as importantly, it’s about engagement. I am grateful for the overwhelming support received, and I cannot wait to surpass our Woods Giving Day and Woods Fund goal this year!”
The College has successfully attained its Woods Fund goal for seven consecutive years, from 2015 to 2021, raising more than $1 million for six straight years. With consistent success, the College increased its goal to $1.1 million for unrestricted giving in fiscal year 2020.
The percentage of alumni giving turned a critical corner last year — it increased to 22% after holding at 19% in 2019 and 2020.
“High participation levels in alumni giving have long been a standard to which The Woods and other private colleges throughout the nation aspire even while national averages of giving by alumni have been on a steady downward trajectory,” explained Saunders. “It is so rewarding to see this percentage increase, especially as the denominator, or the overall number of alumni, grows at a steadily increasing rate. It tells a story — our alumni believe so much in the stellar education they received that they are willing to pay it forward for someone else.”
For Saunders, giving back hits close to home, as she looks at these numbers compared to 25 years’ worth of giving data.
“The data I am seeing spans the time of when I was a Woods student; moreover, I was a member of the advancement team from 2001 to 2004 serving as the director of alumni relations and annual giving,” Saunders said. “I remember building relationships with alumni and seeking to inspire them to give back to our alma mater. I am thankful for the increase in alumni giving that helped us jump to 22% in 2021. Seeing a much larger alumni base responding so positively to our College’s progress inspires me!”