Colby-Sawyer College raised $20.8 million in fiscal year 2023, marking the second highest single-year fundraising total in its 186-year history.

The $20,852,672 raised in 2023 represents a 78% increase from last year’s fundraising total, and is just $660,430 less than the all-time mark set in 2021. Colby-Sawyer also saw its second highest number of donors, with nearly 3,500 individuals and organizations making gifts over the course of the year.

Students will benefit significantly from this year’s fundraising success thanks to gifts made to the Colby-Sawyer Fund that will enable improvements to facilities, including renovations and enhancements to the student game room, as well as expanded academic and extracurricular opportunities. In addition, this year’s funds raised also includes significant support for endowed scholarships that play a critical role in terms of enabling students of all backgrounds to enroll at the college.

“We are deeply grateful for the generosity of our supporters who enabled us to raise the second highest amount in college history,” Colby-Sawyer President and Professor of Business and Social Sciences and Volanakis Family Presidential Chair Susan D. Stuebner said. “Gifts received will enhance the student experience through scholarship support, improvements to campus, internship and field-study opportunities, support of the Schaefer Center for Health Sciences and professional development for faculty and staff. Colleges like Colby-Sawyer rely on the support of our donors to ensure that we can continue to deliver the highest quality educational experience for our students. We are truly thankful.”

Colby-Sawyer received $9.2 million in bequests in 2023, including $1.4 million from the estate of Agnes Cornell Cook ’47. Another $7 million came from the estate of Janet Udall Schaefer ’52, whose total bequest will surpass $12 million. A portion of Schaefer’s total bequest has been designated to help fund construction of the new health sciences building to be named in her honor. The $19 million, 20,500-square-foot Janet Udall Schaefer ‘52 Center for Health Sciences is slated to open in fall 2024.

The college also raised more than $300,000 during its fifth annual Day of Giving held in April, in which a record 1,770 donors made contributions during the 24-hour event. Donors were motivated throughout the day by gift-matching pledges from longtime donors William and Sonja Carlson Davidow ’56, trustee Andrew Lydecker ’00 and his wife, Halley Westdale Lydecker ’00 and trustee Sally Shaw Veitch ’66, that unlocked an additional $95,000 of contributions.

“This is only the second time in Colby-Sawyer history that the college has received more than $20 million in gifts in a single year, and it is the second year in a row that over 3,400 donors have made contributions,” Vice President for College Advancement Dan Parish said. “All of us at the college are grateful for this incredible show of support from so many members of our community.”

To learn more about how to support Colby-Sawyer College, visit colby-sawyer.edu/giving or email giving@colby-sawyer.edu.