A Year After a Successful Campaign, Harvard Continues to Meet and Surpass Fundraising Goals

Andrew K. Tiedemann has to convince people that the world's richest University needs more money.

More than a year after celebrating a record breaking eight-year capital campaign, Tiedemann and the University Development Office (UDO) he represents continue fundraising efforts and boast a 34 percent increase over last year in its University-wide fundraising total over the past five months.

Despite concern that giving would lag after the campaign, the UDO is on track to raise money for a number of new University-wide initiatives and specific growth within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). The office stayed its course through clearly defined goals and targeted donor appeals.

From July 1 to Nov. 30, the University-wide fundraising total was about $200 million while at this time last year, in the tail end of the campaign, the total was less--at about $150 million.

"We're 34.4 percent ahead of last year and we're out of the campaign and the pace of giving at the end of the campaign was phenomenal," says Tiedemann, spokesperson for the Alumni Affairs and Development office.

The percentage increase within FAS is slightly more modest, 21 percent up from last year.

Tiedemann says that since the beginning of the campaign, the University's giving has increased annually, more than doubling from $220 million in 1997 to $485 million last year. He said one major question in the post-campaign years is whether the University's gift level will remain in the $400 million range.

"We [the UDO] did not staff up for the campaign, so there has been no major turnover. One of the biggest differences is that we don't speak in terms of a number goal. The sense of urgency is gone," Tiedemann says. "It's definitely much more difficult to raise money in a non campaign environment. In the campaign, there is an umbrella articulation of mission and purpose. There is a deadline."

But, according to Tiedemann, consistency in the UDO staff, who often form close relationships with the donors, and a strong economy mitigate this difficulty, which is good news for many deans who are counting on continued high gift levels to support ambitious expansion.

Within the FAS, Dean Jeremy R. Knowles, outlined six priorities for the post-campaign fundraising efforts.

At the top of the list are new professorships, then financial aid for undergraduates, graduate fellowships and money for new construction, Knowles wrote in an e-mail message.

"We have seen a number of splendid new gifts...and the flow of giving for our highest priorities continues," Knowles wrote.

According to Susan L. Lively, an associate director for development planning who focuses on FAS, Dean Knowles also hopes to add six tenured faculty positions every year for ten years.

"Again, this was one of the continuing goals of the campaign, looking at the fact that the faculty to student ration was not as favorable as we'd like it to be," Lively said.

She also mentioned a specific FAS goal of doubling the size of the Computer Science and Engineering faculty.

Tiedemann says he is confident that the development office can persuade givers that Harvard still needs money for these areas despite the new highs reached by Harvard's endowment this fall.

"At the end of the Campaign, Neil [ L. Rudenstine] said we have no plans to do a comprehensive fundraising drive in the near future, nonetheless, a major research university can't afford to stand still," Tiedemann says.

Part of moving forward involves explaining why, even at the height of its wealth, Harvard still depends on its donors.

"We don't try to persuade alumni and friends that we need money. If we stood still we could get along, which is not true of many other institutions, but the opportunity costs for Harvard and society would be great and we would quickly not remain on the forefront. Harvard could not be Harvard in a very short period of time," Tiedemann says.

The FAS priorities highlight areas that aren't always as interesting or exciting for potential donors. The University met the capital campaign goals in these areas.

The libraries, for example, generally attract fewer donors than fellowship or technology giving opportunities.

"We are exceptionally pleased to be one of the priorities. It's just great to be in that list of six. As the campaign was winding down, there were so many priorities with in FAS and the fact that the library was designated a priority was extremely important," says Nancy M. Cline, Larsen librarian of Harvard College.

Cline says that in addition to the major Widener renovations, the funding priorities for the library include expanding collections, digital technology and more resources for the preservation program.

"I think the goal [during the capital campaign] could have been larger, but then perhaps the goal would not have been met, " Cline says. "We have a lot of work cut out for us, but we've also got a really, really good development team."

Knowles' top priority remains undergraduate financial aid and graduate student fellowships.

"Access to Harvard [through scholarships] was a key component of the Capital Campaign and it remains a key issue in the post-campaign," Tiedemann says. "Even though we met all our goals, there is still more that we can do and want to do."

Undergraduate financial aid is currently funded by endowed funds and unrestricted funds. One UDO goal is to fund it entirely through endowments to free up the unrestricted funding elsewhere.

Graduate student fellowships, a lower profile need and generally less of a draw for donors, are a high priority not only for Knowles but also for Peter Ellison, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

"Eventually we would like to see an adequate endowment for graduate student financial aid, an endowment that would have to be on the order of $200-$300 million," Ellison wrote in an e-mail message. "The Development Office and the Graduate School Harvard has a very real commitment to its graduate students, as to its undergraduates, to make the educational experience here as rich and productive as possible."

The UDO is also paying close attention to the two new presidents the coming year will bring. On the national level, Tiedemann says he does not think George W. Bush's proposal to cut the estate tax will seriously impact giving to Harvard.

"Donors clearly give for many reasons and estate planning is a reason for some. If it did happen we would obviously study it and pay close attention to the impact it will have but I think people with definitely give to Harvard whether or not there's an inheritance tax," he says.

And as far as the search for President Rudenstine's successor, Tiedemann said many donors are curious, but he does not have many leads to offer.

"We only know what we read in The Crimson," he said