Principal Gifts
The Office of Principal Gifts (OPrG) actively engages the Institute's most generous individual donors in the life of MIT, thanks them for their generosity and encourages additional multi-million dollar gifts. Through coordination of the efforts of MIT's senior officers and the Campaign Chairman to deepen the relationships between current and future benefactors, this office works to secure gifts that can strengthen and occasionally transform MIT.
This year's key accomplishments for OPrG included: collaborating with the Office of the Corporation to plan and execute the dedication of Simmons Hall and the Zesiger Center; directing the effort to secure additional naming gifts for construction of the Stata Center; and in collaboration with the senior officers, working toward the successful completion of several eight-figure solicitations.
Working closely with the Offices of Campaign Giving, Donor Partnerships and Special Projects, Foundation Relations, Gift Planning, Leadership Gifts, and the development offices of the 5 Schools of MIT, we increased from 202 to 212 the number of donors whose lifetime giving to MIT exceeds $1 million. During the fiscal year, the Institute received 23 new gift commitments of $1 million or more from individuals.
The work of the Campaign Steering Committee (CSC) continued to be an area of emphasis for the office. This year CSC members moved 44 prospects through the cultivation and solicitation process. In tandem with the new $2 billion campaign goal, the CSC increased their committee goal from $75 million to $100 million raised from committee efforts by campaign end. The CSC effort remains on schedule; as of FY2003, CSC prospects contributed $62 million to MIT.