June 9, 2002 == FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
When the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) recently
announced awards to development offices at colleges and universities across the
country it was cause for celebration in West Michigan.
Three local colleges - - Calvin, Hope and Grand Valley - - were honored by
CASE as winners of a Circle of Excellence in Educational Fund Raising award.
Coincidence?
Calvin vice president for development Robert Berkhof doesn't think so.
"West Michigan," he says, "is an amazingly generous community. Philanthropy is
something that is a deep part of this area. I know that we work hard at Calvin
to communicate our mission and why we hope donors will support us in our work.
I know that we raise funds with honesty and integrity. But I also know that
being part of a supportive community helps us a great deal in our work. And I
don't think it's an accident that of 47 colleges and universities across the
country that won this award, three are within 35 miles of each other here (in
West Michigan)."
The awards are part of the annual CASE - Wealth ID Awards for Educational Fund
Raising. And Calvin was one of four schools saluted as a best performer in the
CASE category of Private Comprehensive Institutions, while Grand Valley was one
of four schools named best in the Public Comprehensive Institutions category.
Hope was one of seven schools highlighted for overall improvement in the
category of Private Liberal Arts Institutions.
The schools will receive their award the first week of July at the CASE
International Assembly in Chicago. In addition each school has been asked to
prepare an outline of its development program for other CASE members to use as a
model.
According to the CASE website: "An expert panel of volunteer judges selects
winners based on a multitude of factors: the pattern of growth in total support
(or adjusted total support if appropriate); evaluation of what contributed to
the total support figure; overall breadth in program areas; pattern of growth in
each program area; pattern of donor growth among alumni/ae donors and other
individual donors; impact of the 12 largest gifts on total support; total
support in relation to the alumni/ae base; and the type of institution."
In selecting Overall Fund-Raising Performance winners, such as Calvin and Grand
Valley, judges use the above factors to recognize institutions that show "solid
program growth; breadth in the base of support; and other indications of a
mature, well-maintained program."
In selecting Overall Fund-Raising Improvement winners, such as Hope, judges use
the factors to find significant program growth across the three years of data.
Institutions are evaluated within appropriate peer groups, using 22 different
size and type classifications.
The college and university awards are judged blindly with respect to both
institution name and geography.
See http://www.case.org/awards/leadership/efrperfcategory2002.cfm
Contact Bob Berkhof at 957-6091
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