WVU image.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Foundation has achieved another year of over $200 million in donations
In a final report ahead of the start of the 2022-23 school year, WVU Foundation executive vice president and chief development officer BJ Davisson, announced that they received nearly $214 million in donations. The donations were lower than the record high’s received in 2021 but is still considered a significant number despite recent economic effects caused by inflation and post-pandemic recovery.
“Having secured about $214 million, not quite up to our big record year last year with $270 (million), still an amazing result I think, in light of everything happening in our country,” said WVU Foundation Executive Vice President BJ Davisson.
According to Davisson, the donations were received from several different avenues, with the majority donated via alumni or fundraising events. While alumni donations were taken in multiple spurts, individual donations were given by more than 20,000 people, when combined, lead to 39,347 gifts to the WVU Foundation. Thirty-two donors gave gifts of $1 million or more.
“We really practice what we call an omni-channel approach, to reaching out to folks,” said Davisson. “A lot to social media, personal contact, written communication, posting events that kind of bring people closer to the institution,” he said.
The majority of the $214 million received by the West Virginia University Foundation, is directed at the discretion of the donor. For 2022, Davisson reports that over thirty divisions of WVU recieved donations as part of the campaign, which are used to fund scholarships and improvements to facilities. This doesn’t include “current use” donations and endowments which are directed for any use the university sees fit.
“That represents gifts to about thirty separate units, colleges in the institution,” Davisson said on the directed donations. “Including Potomac State, and Beckley, the Chambers College, medicine, everything,” he said.
Past donations recieved by the WVU Foundation, have contributed to several constructions projects in recent years. Among them, are the WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital, the new facilities for the John Chambers School of Business and various projects for the WVU Athletic Department. As the 2022-2023 school year, Davisson says the approach to garner donations will be very much the same as it has been in recent years.
“What we’re going to do is follow the university’s lead, I think we are very blessed to represent a fine institution that continues to make significant strides and improvements,” he said.