Donations to the University are up, despite the recent economic slump.But the endowment fund has lost millions since the last fiscal year.The $319 million endowment made up of donations marked for investment and the returns on the investment of those donations has decreased between the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 fiscal years by $20 million, according to numbers recently released by the LSU Foundation.Though the investment of the gifts is diversified and encompasses 10 outlets, Scott Madere, LSU Foundation public relations director, said fluctuations in financial markets are responsible for the endowment’s gains and losses. But the overall market trends upwards, and ups and downs don’t determine long-term success.”Obviously [the endowment] is affected by the trends of the stock market,” Madere said. “I don’t think there’s any college or university in the United States that’s not being affected.” The donations marked for endowment or long-term investment going into the endowment fund are counted toward Forever LSU, but the investment earnings associated with those donations are not counted in the campaign. A portion of the interest earned on the donations goes back into the endowment, and the other portion goes straight to the University.Forever LSU’s funds currently stand at $563,931,452.95, less than one-third shy of the $750 million goal by 2010. As of Aug. 31, private donations accounted for $532,331,452.95, and state matching funds as of June accounted for $31.6 million of that total. Neither of the three entities comprising the Forever LSU campaign — the Alumni Association, the LSU Foundation and the Tiger Athletic Foundation — have reported a decline in donated funds since the financial crisis in September.Maj. Gen. Ron Richard, CEO of the TAF, said philanthropic fundraising for the foundation and sports ticket sales are up, partly because of the 2007 football national championship. “Right now, this is the best year the TAF has ever had,” Richard said. He said any sign of effects of the economic downturn on donations won’t be evident until the end of the first quarter for the next fiscal year. But Richard said donors will most likely reorganize financial priorities to keep their sports tickets and TAF assets.Beverly Major, Forever LSU director, said it’s too early to tell if the economy’s condition will affect donations to the campaign. “We are not off schedule. We have every indication that we will be successful,” Major said. While Dec. 31, 2010 is the goal for ending the campaign, Major said it is not a set deadline. She said she is optimistic the money will be raised by then but would not comment on the campaign’s future. Cliff Vannoy, executive vice president of Alumni Relations, said no fluctuations in Alumni Association donations have been realized so far. The monetary goal for the association was $20 million, and Vannoy said that amount was met earlier this year. Vannoy said most gifts are private donations in the $50 to $100 range, and the LSU Foundation is where most multi-million dollar gifts are donated. Other university administrators report they have not been so lucky.Bruce Downsbrough, assistant vice president for Advancement Services at the University of Tennessee, said directly donated funds recently decreased. But that decrease might not be solely based on the financial markets’ performance — it could be related to the change in the period when appeals were mailed out to donors this year.”There’s no question … our cash receipts are down from this time last year,” Downsbrough said.Pam Parker, vice president for advancement at the University of Alabama, said as of Sept. 30, cash donations were not affected by the financial markets, but long-term pledges were noticeably reduced. She said she expects a decrease in cash donations will also be reflected in final October totals.President Bush extended the Charitable IRA Rollover tax incentive through 2009 when he signed the $700 billion bailout plan, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, on Oct. 3. The incentive allows Americans aged 70 or older to donate up to $100,000 from their IRAs and Roth IRAs to charities without having to report the donations as taxable income.During the past two years, the LSU Foundation received more than $933,000 in IRA rollovers, according to the foundation’s Web site.—-Contact Sarah Lawson at [email protected]