EXETER COLLEGE DONORS’ REPORT | 09EXETER COLLEGE DONORS’ REPORT | 09<strong>College</strong> FinancesWilliam JensenIncome Statement2008-09As evidence of stress in the banking sectormultiplied in the latter part of 2007 and into2008, <strong>Exeter</strong> began raising cash from globalequity funds. When Lehman Brothers failedin October 2008, the <strong>College</strong> endowment washolding nearly 30% of its assets in cash andthis sheltered it from much of the turbulencewhich followed. Agricultural land, accountingfor some 14% of the endowment, held itsvalue, and the <strong>College</strong> had limited exposureto hedge funds and private equity. So it wasthat the <strong>College</strong> recorded a total return inthe year to 31 July 2009 of -3.33% and thisrelative stability has enabled the <strong>College</strong> tomaintain its operations whilst many muchwealthier institutions which experiencedgreater volatility were forced to retrench.The <strong>College</strong> was greatly helped in achievingthis outcome by the contribution of the fourexternal members of its Investment& Accounts Committee (three of them areOld Members) and by its investment adviser,Sand Aire, a family office founded and run byanother Old Member. New investments havebeen purchased cautiously and selectivelybut a substantial cash balance remains andwe are prepared for further turbulence whenliquidity is withdrawn by central banks.4Endowments have very longinvestment horizons and the receivedwisdom has been that they shouldbe able to ride out market volatility.Extreme stress in the financialsystem has exposed limitations tothe efficacy of diversification.The value of the portfolio at 31 July 2009was £42.5 million; this was after the transferof £1.5 million to the <strong>College</strong>’s revenueaccount and an exceptional grant of £683,000to the Michael Cohen Trust which supportsthe tutorial work of the <strong>College</strong>. The tableopposite summarises income and expenditurein the year. Exceptional efforts were made togrow commercial banqueting and conferencebusiness, whilst at the same time placinggreat emphasis on cost control; this resultedin an unexpected, though very welcome,surplus of £457,000. Apart from the majordevelopment of graduate accommodation at<strong>Exeter</strong> House, the <strong>College</strong> did not undertakeany significant capital projects.Looking forward, there is concern over thesustainability of public funding for highereducation and Oxford expects an additionalblow from the withdrawal of the £5 million‘historic buildings’ grant from HEFCEfunding. Many students are finding thattheir families are not able to support theirstudies to the extent that was anticipatedand several funding bodies are now payinggrants termly rather than at the beginningof the academic year.The <strong>College</strong> has responded by makinghardship funding and bursaries a priorityin its allocation of resources. We are verygrateful for the support of our Old Membersand Friends, which has enabled <strong>Exeter</strong>to offer a guaranteed level of support tostudents facing financial hardship.WILLIAM JENSENFINANCE AND ESTATES BURSARINCOME (£,000)Academic Tuition Fees 2,105Accommodation and Catering 1,441Conferences and Functions 931Income from Endowment Return 1,532Donations (including Annual Fund but excluding capital and endowment gifts) 713Income from <strong>College</strong> Assets 690TOTAL INCOME 7,412EXPENDITURETuition and ResearchDirect Tuition Costs 1,753Library and Archives 97IT 158Maintenance of <strong>College</strong> Buildings 593Utilities 388Security costs 2053,194Student Support 636Accommodation and Catering (Including Conferences) 2,064<strong>College</strong> Administration 713Development Office 348TOTAL EXPENDITURE 6,955SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR 457Profit on Disposal of Property Assets 1,569ACTUAL SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR 2,0265
EXETER COLLEGE DONORS’ REPORT | 09EXETER COLLEGE DONORS’ REPORT | 09PERCENTAGE PARTICIPATION RATEINCOME (£000’s)The <strong>Exeter</strong> <strong>College</strong>Annual FundIn the last financial year, the Annual Fundraised £382,465 in unrestricted income,its most successful year by far. 1,327individuals made a gift to the <strong>College</strong>,an increase of over 100 compared tothe previous year. The percentage ofOld Members giving was 20%. <strong>Exeter</strong>continues to punch above its weightwhen it comes to fundraising. In the mostrecent Oxford Benchmarking (2007/8),<strong>Exeter</strong> came second only to University<strong>College</strong> in the proportion of its OldMembers who made a gift.PERCENTAGE GIVING RATE ACROSSOXFORD COLLEGES 08|0930%25%20%15%10%5%ANNUAL FUND INCOME 08|094003503002502001501005062001COLLEGES200220032004MEAN ■ EXETER ■ UNIV ■200520062007200808|092009NUMBER OF DONORSThe total raised of £382,465 is a result ofthis support and proof that small donations– the average gift was £250 per annum–do add up to a substantial amount, andcan make a real difference. It is veryencouraging that not only does <strong>Exeter</strong>receive donations from more Old Membersand Friends each year, but that the averageannual gift that each of our donors makesis also increasing each year. In addition toAnnual Fund donations, we also receivedsignificant numbers of Endowment andCapital gifts (excluded from the IncomeStatement on page 5), as shown by theIncome by Stream graph below.INCOME BY STREAM■ REVENUEANNUAL FUND (11%)■ REVENUE (10%)■ ENDOWMENT (42%)■ CAPITAL (39%)■ UNRESTRICTED (1%)ANNUAL DONATION LEVELS140012001000800600400200£1K+04|05£500-1K05|06£250-50006|07£100-25007|0808|09£0-100The 1314 SocietyThe 1314 Society was introduced in2007 to recognise the support of ourmost generous Annual Fund donorswho give more than £1,314 (gross) ina financial year. The 1314 Society hasencouraged a number of existingdonors to increase the level of theirgiving as well as recruiting new donors,especially young alumni and recentgraduates. This year the Societyboasts 127 members, more thandouble last year’s membership.“To this day I consider myselfvery privileged to have studied at Oxford asa member of <strong>Exeter</strong> <strong>College</strong>. The richnessof the experience, sense of purpose andbelonging instilled by <strong>College</strong> life continueto have long-lasting effects.The very least I could do was to reciprocatewith a donation to benefit the newgenerations of students and what better wayto do so than in a “memorable” sum, that ofthe date of foundation of the <strong>College</strong>!”DAVID J V DUMAS QC(1977, JURISPRUDENCE)INCOME (£000’s)Telethon 2009Many Old Members and Parents madea donation in response to a phonecall from a current student duringthe course of the eighth telephonecampaign in January 2009. Despitethe current economic difficulties,55% of the 701 who spoke to a studentin January decided to make a gift,raising a total of £131,889. It was veryencouraging that 92 donors made along term commitment to <strong>Exeter</strong> bysetting up regular gifts, which help toprovide the <strong>College</strong> with a consistentincome stream. Thank you to all whotook the time to speak to one of thestudent callers.DONATIONS RECEIVED, TELETHONS 05-091601401201008060402004|0505|0606|0707|0808|097