CASE Insights on Philanthropy Australia and New Zealand Key Findings 2024-Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This session presented the CASE Insights philanthropy survey for Australian and New Zealand universities, managed by Fiona South and featuring insights from Deborah Trumbull and others. CASE Insights collects fundraising data globally to provide benchmarking and best practices supporting advancement programs. The 2024 survey, conducted in mid-2025, included 34 institutions—both Group of Eight and others—capturing data on new funds committed ($914 million+), bequests, donor participation, annual funds, staffing, and expenditure. Highlights included a significant $100 million single donation, a 34.6% spike in recorded bequest intentions, rising annual fund contributions driven by non-Group of Eight institutions, and a concerning 31.6% decline in alumni donor numbers over five years, reflecting broader sector challenges. Fundraising and alumni relations staff numbers have increased post-pandemic, though with variances between institution types. The report offers detailed trend analyses and benchmarking tools—summary reports for participants with interactive dashboards and optional strategic benchmarking reports with deeper analysis and peer comparisons. Future surveys will open in February 2026 via the new CASE platform, streamlining participation without a separate signup. A discussion on potentially lifting anonymity restrictions for participants to view institution names is underway, with feedback invited. The session closed inviting questions, comments on data use, and encouragement for wider survey participation to ensure robust benchmarking.

Keywords

CASE Insights

philanthropy survey

Australian universities

New Zealand universities

fundraising data

bequest intentions

donor participation decline

annual fund contributions

benchmarking tools