Each year, the AAMC conducts a national benchmarking survey to measure the impact, costs, and staffing of fundraising at its member medical schools and teaching hospitals. This survey helps medical school deans, teaching hospital and health system CEOs, chief development officers, and other academic medicine leaders assess the effectiveness of their institutional development programs. Through the survey’s annual compilation and analysis of data, medical schools, teaching hospitals, and health systems can also identify philanthropic trends useful for development planning and management.
Survey Results
Key Results
Highlighted here are key results from the 2022 survey of 133 institutions (reporting 2021-2022 gift year data) as of Aug. 21, 2023.*
Overall philanthropic support
- $87.9 million: mean total philanthropic support per institution in 2021-2022
- 3.1% increase from $85.3 million per institution in 2020-2021
- $108.8 million: mean total philanthropic support for private institutions
- $67.3 million: mean total philanthropic support for public institutions
- $46.4 million: mean total philanthropic support for medical schools
- $110.4 million: mean total philanthropic support for teaching hospitals
- $118.9 million: mean total philanthropic support for joint programs
Fundraising costs and return on investment
- $8.5 million: mean fundraising cost per institution
- 1.7% decrease from 2020-2021
- $0.11: median fundraising cost per dollar raised
- $9.24: median return on investment per dollar invested
Gifts of $1 million+
- 1,994 gifts and pledges over $1 million, and 357 of these gifts were greater than $5 million
Individual giving
- $28.9 million: mean total support from individuals per institution in 2021-2022
- 8.7% decrease in mean total private support from individuals per institution from 2020 - 2021
- $40.1 million: mean total support from individuals per institution for private institutions
- $18.1 million: mean total support from individuals per institution for public institutions
- $5,486: average gift from individuals per institution
- 46.5% increase in average gift from individuals per institution from 2020-2021
- $6,483: mean gift size from individuals per institution for private institutions
- $4,505: mean gift size from individuals per institution for public institutions
*Note: These data provide insights into the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on fundraising for AAMC-member institutions.