The UNM Foundation and Development Office has been ranked in The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual ranking of the top 400 nonprofit organizations.
UNM entered the list at No. 393, the first time it has earned the recognition in the publication.
UNM President Bill Gordon told the Board of Regents at its monthly meeting Tuesday that the award was a testament to the leadership of Judy Jones, vice president for institutional advancement, and Leslie Elgood, president of the UNM Foundation, Inc.
"It shows the emphasis on reaching out to the community and connecting it to the University," Gordon said.
He added that it was the first time UNM had been ranked by the survey that is not limited to universities.
"This is certainly a strong benchmark in the history of gifts and giving to UNM and a great boost to the institution's fund raising operation," Elgood said in a UNM statement. "Thanks to partnerships we are building and support we have received from businesses, the Foundation world, alumni and friends, UNM continues to make great strides toward providing an educational experience that is exceptional."
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Donations to charitable groups rose 13 percent from 1999 to 2000, according to The Chronicle's annual Philanthropy 400. The survey ranks 400 of the nation's largest nonprofit organizations by how much money they raise from private sources.
To be included in this year's 400 list, organizations needed to raise more than $30.5 million for fiscal year 1999-2000 from private sources, including foundations, corporations and individuals. UNM raised $30,878,535 and listed total income at $654,815,729 and total expenses of $588,541,881.
"The fund-raising makes it possible to do things that couldn't be done with simply state funding," Gordon said.
Overall, the 400 charities on the Chronicle's list raised a collective $43.2 billion last year. The top 10 groups on the list raised $7.5 billion, or nearly a fifth of the $43.2 billion. Giving to the Philanthropy 400 charities accounted for almost a fifth of the charitable dollars contributed nationwide last year according to estimates compiled by Giving USA, an annual report on charitable giving published by the American Association of Fundraising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy.
UNM was one of 130 colleges and universities to receive recognition in The Philanthropy 400. Other entities included 41 international groups, 29 community foundations, 27 United Way organizations, 25 hospitals and medical centers, 22 health centers, 21 religious groups and 18 human-services, among others.
