Union Seminary honored for fundraising performance and improvement

RICHMOND, VA (June 24, 2020) – Union Presbyterian Seminary (UPSem) has been selected to receive two 2020 CASE Educational Fundraising Awards for demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism and best practice in fundraising, and contributing to the betterment of educational advancement worldwide by serving as a model to which others can aspire.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) recognized UPSem for “overall performance” as well as “overall improvement” among private professional and specialized institutions. It is a rare distinction for a school to win both awards in a single category the same year.

The Overall Performance Award is given to colleges and universities that show solid program growth, breadth in the base of support and other indications of a mature, well-maintained program. Union also won this award in 2017. The Overall Improvement Award focuses on colleges and universities that demonstrate significant program growth across three years of data.

Winners are not selected based solely on total funds raised. A committee of experienced fundraisers reviews hundreds of pages of data from the survey, considering factors and variables including:

  • Patterns of growth in total support
  • Evaluation of what contributed to the total support figure
  • Overall breadth of fundraising
  • Patterns of growth in gifts from sources including alumni, other individuals, corporations, and foundations
  • Impact of the 12 largest gifts on total support
  • Giving to areas such as current operations, endowment, and property/buildings
  • Amount raised per student
  • Amount raised relative to expenditures
  • Alumni participation

“Breadth and depth matter,” the CASE judges said. “We also look for institutions that punch above their weight — institutions that rank lower in their categories like budgets and enrollment, but higher in terms of funds raised in various categories, such as funds raised per FTE enrollment.”

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Mike Frontiero
Director of Communications
Union Presbyterian Seminary
mfrontiero@upsem.edu