A report into charitable donations to UK universities highlights the stark contrast between Oxbridge universities and other higher education institutes. British universities raised a record-breaking total of £660 million in donations during the 2012-2013 tax year, and of this amount almost 50 per cent went to Cambridge and Oxford.

Postgraduate student Daisy Hessenberger commented that “this distribution of donations does not reflect the relative contributions of other institutes to British higher education.” The report, however, notes the growing dominance of Oxbridge in raising philanthropic funds, as the two universities increased their share of the total UK university donations from 46 per cent to 49 per cent between 2010-2011 and 2012-2013. This increase has been explained by the fact that Cambridge and Oxford have shown a “very substantial investment in fundraising,” with fundraising staff numbers that are several times larger than other UK universities.

In a separate report commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), it was proposed that a total of £2 billion in charitable donations could be raised by UK universities by 2022. The 2012 Pearce Report suggested that achieving this target would require a significant investment in fundraising staff and expertise. Executive director Kate Hunter of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) reiterates that there is a clear "correlation between the size of the fundraising workforce and the amount of philanthropy raised. For this figure to continue to rise, further investment in professional staff and broader engagement with the academic community is needed.”

The increasing investment in fundraising operations reflects the need to consider organisations as a source of donations. In fact, organisations such as charitable trusts and companies are responsible for 59 per cent of total donations to universities, compared to 41 per cent from individuals. This is also reflected in the recent £8 million gift by the James Dyson Foundation to the Engineering Department at Cambridge, illustrating the importance and sizeable potential of donations from organisations.

Universities have recognised and responded to the potential income from donations. In an interview with the Guardian, Kate Hunter concurs, noting that “it is hugely encouraging to see such a strong increase in cash income and the number of donors giving to UK universities. Organisations and individuals are giving, in growing numbers, to support the work of universities across teaching, learning and research.”