For the second year in a row, Knox College has earned a national award in recognition of its fundraising success from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), an international association of educational institutions.

In 2014, Knox received a national CASE award for Overall Fundraising Performance. This year, CASE cited the College for Overall Fundraising Improvement. Knox is one of just seven private liberal arts colleges with endowments of more than $100 million to earn the distinction. Others include Wellesley College, Hope College, and Colby College.

In contrast to similar honors (including Knox's recent CASE award for its website redesign), the criteria for CASE's Educational Fundraising Awards are purely objective. Judges looked at data submitted to the Council for Aid to Education's Voluntary Support of Education annual survey to determine how much money Knox has raised over the past three years and whether it indicates a sustained pattern of growth. They also considered trends in the number of donors, as well as the overall scope of the College's fundraising efforts.

In 2013-2014 (the most recent year considered by judges), private gifts to Knox totaled more than $19.5 million. Despite a slight decrease in donors and total gifts in 2014-2015, overall fundraising remains strong, with total donor support more than double what it was at the start of the decade. Private gift support remains one of the College's top three sources of revenue, in addition to tuition revenues and income generated by its endowment.

"This recognition from CASE is a true testament to the leadership, quality, and hard work of Knox's Advancement team, as well as the commitment of the Knox alumni community whose generosity ensures that a Knox education remains relevant and attainable for current and future Knox students," said President Teresa Amott.

In June, Knox concluded a successful 2014-15 fundraising year with $18,811,894 in cash from 7,743 alumni, parents, friends, and private organizations. That success builds on two previous record-setting years. In 2012-13, Knox raised $17.7 million, then the highest amount in a single year. In the 2013-14 fiscal year, Knox received the College's largest-ever gift from living donors when Dick '57 and Joan Whitcomb '56 gave $5 million to support a new art building -- a gift that significantly contributed to $19.5 million in total giving.

Donations support Knox faculty and students, the College's educational program, annual operations, and capital improvements.