
The University of New Mexico
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821, e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
August 3, 2006
UNM Foundation Establishes New Benchmark in Fundraising
The University of New Mexico and the University of New Mexico Foundation established a new institution benchmark for fundraising, topping $72 million for the first time in the university’s history. UNM exceeded its previous mark by raising more than $72.2 million for fiscal year 2006-07, an increase of more than $24 million from last fiscal year’s then-record $48.6 million. The number of donors also increased to more than 19,500 donors, up from nearly 18,000 donors last year.
The UNM Foundation, Inc. is an incorporated not-for-profit organization with the responsibility to recei ve, invest and distribute gifts of private support to UNM. Gifts raised by the foundation help support student scholarships, initiatives to help students volunteer in the community, funds for new construction and renovation, and support for faculty and cou rse development.
“This is a remarkable achievement,” said UNM President David J. Schmidly. “UNM has ambitious goals focused on student success, which will only be reached with the help of our donors."
“The entire Foundation Board is so pleased that we’ve achieved our goals this year,” said UNM Foundation chair Thelma Domenici. “This is just the beginning of things to come.”
The funds came from a variety of sources including 37 percent from foundations, 20 percent each from corporations and friends, 16 percent from other organizations and seven percent from alumni.
“ Our amazing fundraising success was a total team effort-bottom up and top down,” said Pam Hurd-Knief, interim associate vice president for Development, Institutional Advancement. “From the frontline fundraisers to our gift processors, the UNM Foundation Board to our research staff; the field and UNM Central Office staff worked together to achieve the $72.2 million. We not only grew our goal, we significantly grew the number of donors and widened the variety of areas those donors supported.”
Foundation Board officers include: Thelma Domenici, chair; Gary Gordon, vice chair/chair-elect; Judith Lavender, national vice-chair; and Anne Yegge, secretary; Michael Kingan, president of the UNM Foundation and vice president of Institutional Advancement, David Harris, treasurer and David J. Schmidly, UNM president, as officers on the Board of Directors.
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