Big donors help Indiana colleges in face of nationwide economic recession

But major college fundraisers know there have been fewer alumni willing to whip out their checkbooks these days. So they've been focusing almost exclusively on major donors for large gifts -- a strategy that paid off this week with news of some record-breaking increases in private contributions. "The number of million-dollar gifts are up dramatically," said Gene Tempel, president of the IU Foundation, "and we've been emphasizing those major gifts." The Bloomington-based foundation helped Indiana University raise $342.8 million in fiscal year 2010, a 38 percent increase from 2009 and the second-highest amount ever. Purdue and Notre Dame reported