Annual Contributions Hit a Record $81.8 Million

Published Aug. 26, 2022

Princeton’s Annual Giving campaign raised a record $81.8 million in 2021-22, topping the prior year’s contributions by more than $13 million. Despite the record total, the participation rate for undergraduate alumni dipped to 47.4 percent, finishing shy of 50 percent for the third straight year. More than 37,000 donors contributed to this year’s campaign.

The 25th-reunion Class of 1997 led all classes, raising more than $10.8 million, followed by the Class of 1992 ($8.1 million), the Class of 1972 ($7.6 million), the Class of 1987 ($6.1 million), and the Class of 1982 ($6 million). The 10 major-reunion classes from 1962 to 2007 each contributed at least $1 million to the campaign.

The Class of 1972 led participation, with 74.3 percent of class members contributing, closely followed by the Class of 1963, which had the highest participation rate among non-major-reunion classes (74 percent). Graduate alumni raised $2.1 million, and Princeton parents donated $2 million.

Published in the September 2022 Issue

Administration Annual Giving

1 Response

Peter Trentman ’08

1 Year Ago

Decline in Giving Rate

The headline proclaims a record of $81.8 million donated, but the real story seems to be in the participation rate declining precipitously from 61% to 47%% in less than a decade after holding steady at ~60% for the first 15 years shown in the graph (and likely much longer). This should be alarming for the University and yet I have not seen any analysis from the PAW or the University of why this might be the case. Perhaps the PAW can do some journalistic investigation into what accounts for thousands of alumni deciding to drop annual giving. A story examining the nearly 25% drop in the alumni giving rate in less than a decade seems cover worthy to me.