U-Va. Drive May Raise Stakes for Fundraising

"And if we don't get it today," Sweeney said, "then tomorrow we have to raise two million-fifty."

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Public universities have been known as "state-supported schools," but state funding has long been mercurial. U-Va. President John T. Casteen III started pushing for more private dollars when he arrived in 1990. In 2000, university leaders changed their financial strategy, cutting their reliance on the commonwealth and, with Sweeney's success, dramatically increasing fundraising. Now the portion of the university budget from state appropriations is 9 percent -- barely more than the share from gifts and the endowment.

Since 1990, the philanthropic cash flow has increased almost 500 percent.

"When I came, the world was about to change," said Jeannette Lancaster, who became dean of the school of nursing in 1989. "The person who preceded me, fundraising was a very minor part of her role." Lancaster spends hours signing thank-you letters, checking donors' nicknames and adding personal notes.

And so it goes, school by school. U-Va. has 14 foundations, each with an independent board. They work together, sort of.

"The university has a huge, computerized tracking system," which Lancaster checks before pursuing a gift. "The reason it's so systematic is so you don't absolutely wear donors out. Let's say there's someone who graduated from three of the schools and is a big athletics fan. You can't have four entities approaching the person. So you have to find out: Can you get clearance? Is it your turn? Is it okay?"

More is at stake not only because the school is more dependent on private money but because the gifts the school is getting are so much bigger. This year, U-Va. received $100 million to launch a new school, the university's largest gift ever and the biggest single goal when the campaign began.

Fundraisers are looking for another $100 million gift.

As of the end of August, 64 of the 99,000 donors had given 54 percent of what had been raised. "My guess is," Sweeney said, "of the $3 billion, the top 100 gifts will make up half of the $3 billion. You're talking very large gifts."

At a meeting this summer discussing the approaching halfway point, Sweeney told his staff: "Part of it might be convincing myself that we're all right on the number right now. With any luck, we'll get there."

So how does the school bring in money?