The University of Wyoming Foundation recently received CASE’s 2012 Educational Fundraiser
Award. (UW Photo)
The University of Wyoming Foundation has received CASE’s 2012 Educational Fundraiser Award, which honors superior fundraising programs across the country.
One of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations, CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) is an international professional association that serves educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf.
“Because your fundraising program was judged by a panel of your peers, this award is not only a recognition of its high value to your institution, but also an acknowledgement of its stature as a best practice that contributes to the advancement profession overall,” writes Brian Flahaven, legislative director of CASE Foundation and Recognition Programs.
Ben Blalock, UW Foundation president, calls the award “special,” but the “true recognition has to go to our remarkably generous supporters.”
“The relationships that the UW Foundation has built over the years have enhanced the university’s public-private partnership with the state of Wyoming and our UW family,” Blalock adds. “These relationships, in turn, have elevated UW’s development program to a level that merits this distinguished honor.”
“This award is a significant honor for our organization,” says Clayton Hartman, UW Foundation Board of Directors chair. “So much of our success is due to the expertise and dedication of our staff, and the vision of our foundation board members.”
The UW Foundation was selected for an Overall Improvement Award, which is based on analysis of three years of institution-provided data. The award is part of CASE's annual Circle of Excellence program, which honors exemplary advancement initiatives and activities based on overall performance or improvement in fundraising.
Institutions do not apply for the program. They become eligible for consideration based upon institutional data submitted to the Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey for three or more consecutive years.
“The University of Wyoming has gained national and international prominence in a number of areas in recent years, and I am very pleased to have our foundation added to this list,” says UW President Tom Buchanan. “The UW Foundation Board, Vice President Blalock, and the staff of the foundation have done an extraordinary job of cultivating new donors and stewarding old friends to keep private gifts and our endowment moving in an upward trajectory when many universities have experienced dramatic setbacks.
“With the UW Board of Trustees and the UW Foundation Board working together on fundraising goals, we are able to use these gifts to support and expand the many programs that make UW the great university that it is,” Buchanan adds.
In the fiscal year ending June 30, the UW Foundation raised $40.1 million in private support from 23,551 donors. This is the first time in UW’s history that the foundation has raised more than $40 million in two consecutive years.
Philanthropy provides UW an important extra margin of support that builds upon the university’s public funding. Assets managed by the foundation have grown significantly through the years and have allowed donors to support an expanding number of students, faculty, and academic programs during times when many universities have had to cut back, Blalock says.
Established in 1962, the UW Foundation is an independent nonprofit corporation appointed by the UW Board of Trustees to raise, receive and manage private gifts to maximize support for the university. The foundation partners with UW to enhance the university’s programs and projects to meet current and future needs through private giving.
“This year, the UW Foundation celebrates 50 years of partnership with the university, enhancing excellence and distinction at UW by securing private resources, delivering superior stewardship, and creating enduring relationships with all who share our pride in Wyoming's university," Blalock says. “The UW Foundation is proud to honor its partnership with the University of Wyoming and the trust placed in it by the many donors, friends and alumni who support it."
