Real-terms growth in philanthropic giving to UK universities of 60 per cent since 2012 is “remarkable” given that the sector’s fundraising workforce has grown by under 50 per cent over the same period, according to a report.
Recommendations from a CASE-More UK Philanthropy report, called Accelerating Ambitions: a decade of giving to higher education and how it informs the future, include that the sector should “develop more formalised training and progression routes for advancement professionals”.
Since 2012, when a review of UK higher education philanthropy was published, led by Dame Shirley Pearce, “there has been growth in new funds committed of 93 per cent in absolute terms and growth in real terms of 60 per cent”, says the report.
“Growth in giving has been mostly consistent since 2012, but Covid caused a drop both in activity and giving. In 2022, however, giving was 6 per cent higher than before Covid in 2019. Whether future growth is stifled as a result of the hiatus in cultivation activity remains to be seen.”
It adds: “Considering the context, this is a remarkable achievement, delivered by a fundraising workforce that has grown by less than 50 per cent since 2012.”
The report also says: “Since 2012, the number of fundraising (FTE) professionals has grown by less than half (47 per cent), while the alumni relations workforce (FTE) has grown by 67 per cent…Within the overall growth, the 1990s group [institutions gaining university title then] has seen the largest proportionate rise in fundraising staff numbers (up by 62 per cent) – although, with just 63 staff across 15 institutions that consistently reported results, this is not a large rise in absolute terms.
“Oxbridge has grown by 56 per cent while the other groups have grown by around 40 per cent – except for the 2000s group, which has grown by 17 per cent.”
Other recommendations in the report include that “urgent action is needed to amplify the profile of universities as charitable causes and to showcase the impact of philanthropy”, and that “such a campaign should also build the esteem and attractiveness of the advancement profession”, with there being “an important role for the Charity Commission in raising the profile of philanthropy generally, and the role of universities more specifically”.
In terms of long-established trends, “Oxbridge accounts for very nearly half of all the new funds committed across the sector”, says the report. “Pre-1960s universities (including the big civics) make up the next 38 per cent. This means that the money raised by these universities accounts for 87 per cent of all the money raised since 2012.”
And on future trends, the report predicts that the period up to 2033 will bring “the first £1 billion campaign beyond Oxbridge” and that “UK institutions will seek philanthropy more overtly for budget-relieving purposes, as at many US institutions”.
