Dive Brief:

• Education fundraising professionals estimate donations to their institutions increased 5.4% in the last academic year and will increase by the same percentage for 2014-15, according to a Council for Advancement and Support of Education survey.
• The survey shows a small increase from the 5.3% increase predicted by fundraisers at the beginning of the 2013-2014 academic year, which ended June 30. The 20-year average increase is 5.9%.
• When broken down by institution type, fundraising professionals at four-year colleges predict a 5.7% increase in 2014-15, compared to 5.5% at two-year colleges and 4.7% at private elementary and secondary schools.

Dive Insight:

For 2013-14, community colleges beat out four-year colleges in the giving growth rate: 7.2% to 5%. Public higher ed institutions are more optimistic than private colleges and universities about giving growth for the 2014-15 academic year, at a 6.1% to 5.5% clip. The online survey reached 1,700 senior fundraising professionals in July, with 9.4% responding.