Correction appended
College President Jim Yong Kim's fundraising experience will be put to test in the coming months in light of the College's 23-percent endowment loss and the expected announcement of a second round of budget cuts in less than a year. Kim is tasked with bringing in contributions, largely from alumni, in the wake of what some have called the worst economic recession since the 1930s.
The Dartmouth College Fund aims to raise about $40 million for the 2010 fiscal year, according to vice president for development Carolyn Pelzel. The fund raised $38.1 million in 2009. While alumni participation dropped by only 1 percent, the average amount given also declined, she said.
"The economy is a big thing right now," said Meg Sommerfeld '90, president of the Dartmouth Club of Washington, D.C., adding, "I'm sure what's affecting people's giving is also their ability to give, not necessarily if they want to."
As chair of the division of global health equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Kim worked to raise funds for research and education, according to Jennifer Watson, the division's current director. Watson worked with Kim for about three years to raise funds for research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other diseases affecting the developing world. Kim also helped raise funds to establish the Doris and Howard Hiatt Residency in Global Health Equity, which trains young doctors to work in the field of global public health.
Watson described Kim as a "remarkably effective fundraiser" who could work in many different settings. Kim effectively attracted donations from both individuals and philanthropic foundations like the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Open Society Institute, Watson said.
Watson recounted an instance at an awards ceremony when Kim sat next to a man Watson said she believes Kim had never met. The two spent the dinner discussing Kim's latest project, and by the end of the night, the man had become one of the project's biggest donors.
Kim was particularly effective at communicating to potential donors that a particular program fit in with larger goals, Watson said.
In addition to his work at Brigham, Kim raised money for Partners in Health, the global health organization he co-founded with Harvard Medical School professor Paul Farmer. Kim also served as the director of the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS division from 2004 to 2006 and as the chair of the division of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Pelzel said she believes Kim's experience at PIH and at Brigham will "give him a leg up" in fundraising.
Kim has the benefit of a network of identified supporters as Dartmouth's president, something he lacked in his previous roles. At PIH, Kim often had to reach out to donors with no previous connections to the organization, Pelzel said.
Dartmouth Association of Alumni President John Mathias '69 said Kim's personal skills will likely make him a good fundraiser among alumni, explaining that Kim "gives you the impression you are the only person who matters."
Mathias said that Kim has been "extremely well received" among alumni.
Mathias was optimistic that donations will stay strong, although he noted that Dartmouth will not be immune from the effects of the economy.
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going," he said.
Martin Weinstein '81, who met Kim shortly after he was named president-elect last spring, said he believes Kim represented Dartmouth well and has inspired alumni to contribute.
"He gets me excited about talking to classmates of mine and other people I know about contributing to the College," Weinstein said. "When I talk to my friends from my class and other classes, they're pretty excited about Dartmouth and they love the College, and it makes them want to give something back to the institution that had a big part to do with our success."
Jay Miller '82, a member of the Dartmouth Club of the Midwest, praised Kim's efforts to reach out to alumni through letters, the alumni magazine and web posts.
Miller, who said he has previously worked with nonprofit organizations struggling with falling donations, said he expects fundraising challenges ahead for the College.
"It's a tough time for everybody," he said.
Miller said he believes the recession is only a "relatively short-term issue," however, and that Dartmouth's "extremely loyal alumni" will continue to donate.
Kim, in a previous interview with The Dartmouth, recognized that the endowment loss may mean a full calendar of fundraising trips across the country in the coming months.
"It's going to mean a lot of time on the road for me," Kim said the interview earlier this month. "The fundraising is a big part of the job of the president, but I think it's an even bigger part of my job. But it's not just me, we have many people on our faculty and administration who are very effective fundraisers, and I think that all of us will have to be on the road doing that work."
Kim will not begin these trips until 2010 to allow him to spend time with the students and faculty, according to David Spalding '76, vice president for alumni relations. Kim, however, will meet with the Hanover-based Alumni Club of the Upper Valley on Nov. 4.
The main purpose of the trips is not to raise money, Spalding said, but to allow Kim to meet with alumni and inform them about the College.
Despite general praise, Kim faces some criticism: Members of the small, outspoken segment of the alumni community that supported the Association's 2007 lawsuit against the College are wary about his message of social change and his coming presidency.
Frank Gado '58, a former member of the Association executive committee who supported 2007 lawsuit, said he has adopted a "wait-and-see" approach to Kim's administration.
He said that he and other alumni have begun to criticize Kim, despite the generally positive responses he has heard from people who met Kim personally.
"The honeymoon is over," Gado said.
Gado said he personally has not donated to Dartmouth for many years because of disagreements with the administration, adding that the recent dispute about parity between the number of Board-selected and alumni-elected members on the Board of Trustees has turned many alumni to his side.
Staff writer Katie Gonzalez contributed to the reporting of this article.
