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SNHU Donations Battle The Economy

By Ashley Manley- News Editor

Southern New Hampshire University heavily depends on donations in order to support the University's academic mission, vision, and goals.  The office of Institutional Advancement at SNHU manages areas of the university that research, collect, and foster relationships with potential donors.   The Institutional Advancement office manages the Alumni and Affinity Programs, Development, Foundations and Corporate Relations, and Operations aspects of the university.

On average, the office of Institutional Advancement raises $2 to $2.5 million per a year. These donations are used for the greatest need at SNHU, which is typically financial aid for students.  Some gifts are restricted by donors.  If a donation has a restriction, the donor designates their gift for a specific scholarship, building project, or organization.

According to Gail Dexter, the Director of Development in the Institutional Advancement office, the amount of money raised by the office has remained "fairly steady," with "slight increases over the past four years."  With the current economic turmoil, Institutional Advancement predicts that donations will be impacted.

When asked about the impact of the economy on university donations, Dexter stated, "We have definitely seen some of our donors unable to support us at the level that they did last year due to decreasing value in stock portfolios and some who have lost their jobs."  If support is not feasible for many donors to the point that donations significantly drop due to the economy, there could be a decrease in the amount of financial aid offered to students, according to Dexter.

Dexter explained that, "we have become more strategic in our overall business practices," and continued to say that the office now focuses more on, "development rather than just fundraising."

Dexter remarked that fundraising, "tends to be a short term solution, whereas development is a process of establishing relationships with our constituencies, getting them involved and engaged, and also asking for financial support."

May marks the month when many students will be graduating and entering the workforce.  This increase in alumni will also increase the amount of potential donors to the office of Institution Advancement.  When Eric Russo, a graduating senior, was asked if he would donate to SNHU after graduating, he explained, "I will if I make good money…SNHU is a part of me."  Michael DeFelice, also a graduating senior, stated that he, "would definitely not donate to SNHU, I just want to get out of here."  The economy also will affect if graduating students find jobs, which will also affect donations.

Dexter remarked, "Overall, we are lucky to have such loyal donors who understand the importance of the education that SNHU provides and how expensive it is to provide the services to make the experience top notch."  In the best interest of SNHU, graduating students will hopefully understand this as well, regardless of the current economic state.