Troy, NY - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was named as a 2015 winner for overall fundraising performance and overall fundraising improvement, for fiscal years 2012-2014, among private research/doctoral institutions with endowments under $1 billion, by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

“On behalf of the entire Rensselaer Advancement and Alumni Relations team, this is a tremendous honor,” said Graig Eastin, vice president for institute advancement. “At Rensselaer we work very hard to engage our alumni and alumnae, as well as parents, friends, and the entire campus community to join our efforts to support the people, programs, platforms, and partnerships under The Rensselaer Plan 2024 that are transformative in our innovative pedagogy, the global impact of our research, and in the lives of our students. This recognition by CASE is a tribute to the staff and contributors to Rensselaer who worked so hard over the past three years to achieve measurable success.”

The awards program recognizes overall performance and overall improvement in educational fundraising programs based on data submitted to the Council for Aid to Education's (CAE) Voluntary Support of Education survey. The survey is conducted annually by CAE and co-sponsored by CASE.

A CASE member institution is automatically eligible for the awards in overall performance and overall improvement provided it has participated in the CAE survey for the past three years. An expert panel of judges selects winners based solely on a number of factors, including:

• 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
• Type of institution

In selecting overall fundraising performance winners, 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 fundraising improvement winners, judges use the factors to find significant program growth across the three years of data. Institutions are evaluated within appropriate peer groups, using different size and type classifications.

For more information on making an impact by giving to Rensselaer, please visit www.giving.rpi.edu.