DATE: August 07, 2008

CONTACT: Brian O'Rourke, (864) 656-5658
orourke@clemson.edu

WRITER: Angela Nixon, (864) 656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu

Clemson receives national recognition for fundraising efforts

CLEMSON — The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has recognized Clemson University for its fundraising efforts with a 2008 CASE-WealthEngine Award for Educational Fundraising.

Clemson received an Overall Improvement award based on judges’ analysis of three years of fundraising data submitted to the Council for Aid to Education’s annual Voluntary Support of Education Survey.

Winners are selected based on multiple factors: the pattern of growth in total support; evaluation of what contributed to the total support figure; overall breadth in program areas; pattern of growth in each program area; pattern of donor growth among alumni donors and other individual donors; impact of the 12 largest gifts on total support; total support in relation to the alumni base; and the type of institution.

“We appreciate the recognition from CASE, the ‘gold standard’ for our profession,” said Brian O’Rourke, Clemson’s director of development and alumni affairs. “Our growth in the development program is because Clemson and the Clemson University Foundation board made the decision to invest in development and because they realize the importance of our partnerships with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations. We have a fabulous product, Clemson University, to sell and donors realize the benefits of being an investor in our vision.”

Other schools recognized in Clemson’s category for overall improvement included East Carolina University; Michigan State University; University of California, Irvine; University of Florida; University of Maine; University of Texas at Austin and West Virginia University.