IMPACT

Direct mail and online fundraising performed extraordinarily well in FY 2021. UNCF’s Direct Response Program generated $18.9 million in revenue, nearly 2.5 times the revenue in the previous fiscal year.

“At UNCF, we always ask donors to give what they can afford because a gift of any size makes a big difference.”

UNCF received 199,567 gifts from individuals in the form of checks or online donations. The average gift was $95, and the median gift was $25. Nearly 200,000 donors generously contributed small gifts to help UNCF support its colleges and students.

Buoyed by the exceptional times we all experienced in the 2021 fiscal year, donors saw the importance of helping to make sure the next generation of students had the opportunity to become educated professionals and engaged citizenry in the years to come.

The sudden and highly contagious pandemic, that caused a worldwide shutdown, hit our colleges hard forcing them to pivot quickly to shore up their online platforms and to make online learning available to students. The pandemic and the increased public awareness of inequities in race relations, brought to the forefront by the unfortunate death of George Floyd, along with the demonstrations by the Black Lives Matter movement and the contentious presidential election season drove people to do something to make a difference.

For UNCF donors that something was strengthening the platform that supports our HBCUs and the students they educate. One highlight of FY 2021 was the phenomenal success of an Instagram evening spent with celebrity disc jockey D-Nice, who helped raise $225,000 in about four hours for UNCF. These funds, from donors who all gave small gifts, provided critical assistance to our students and colleges, especially as they adjusted to the pandemic. This is why at UNCF we always ask donors to give what they can afford because a gift of any size makes a big difference.