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The Council For Aid To Education's report on the Voluntary Support of Education for 1999 is out. It offers a revealing glimpse at philanthropy to private education. The bottom line here is that private education was established by, is maintained by, and will be sustained in the future by the generous gifts of parents and former students, and others who recognize its value.
$926,211,247 in Gifts
295 participating private schools reported contributions totaling almost
one billion dollars. There were approximately 29,000 private K12 schools
in the U.S. at the end of 1999, so one can only imagine what the total
amount given to all schools actually was. Certainly our robust economy
was one reason for this generosity. Another has to be the realization that
private education is worthy of support. Practically every dollar donated
is put right to work to benefit the school community. The
Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia topped the day school list
with donations of over $17 million. Phillips
Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, headed the boarding school list
with just over $26 million.
44 elementary schools responding to the CAE survey reported average gross contributions of $1,377,643 - VSE Report 1999 (Table 18)
$8,363,604,000 in Endowments
That's a whopping $48,268 per student in endowment funds! And, again,
that's only for the 292 schools which completed the survey. Phillips
Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire tops the boarding school endowments
with $449,396,902 reported. The Westminster Schools in Atlanta topped this
category as well with over $207 million in endowments reported.Some of
the reasons for increases in this area have to do with a growing sophistication
in estate planning and aggressive development efforts by the schools.
Boys' and girls' boarding schools have very devoted alumnia/ae. They reported average per student endowments of $164,225 and $95,664 respectively - VSE Report 1999 (Table 25)
We can do more!
CAE's site is a fascinating one. So much data is available there to
help you and your development officers do their job. There is one thing
which you could do to help CAE: make sure that you participate in the 2000
survey when it appears. The more participation in the survey, the better
the data becomes. The better the data becomes, the more compelling is the
case which you can put forward. I ask any trustees and heads reading this
piece to ensure that your school participates in 2000!
Have you sent your school a gift this year? Be sure to send what you can afford. The need is real! Do it now!
Tell us how you feel about this topic! Express yourself in the Private Schools Forum.
--Rob Kennedy, Private Schools Guide
