Published: May 4, 2010

New Haven, Conn. — Despite the economic downturn — or perhaps because of it — the average gift to the Yale United Way Campaign rose in 2009-2010, compared to the previous year.

All told, the campaign raised almost $950,000, note the campaign chairs Ernie Huff and Cynthia Walker.

"Although we had fewer donors this year (1,284), the average gift increased to $738 compared with $624 for the previous year," they write. "We believe that the people of Yale understood that in a tough economic time, if they were able to give to support the many people who rely on United Way affiliated agency assistance, they should try to give a little more."

"In fact," they note, "the Yale Neighbor to Neighbor Campaign, which provides emergency assistance to local families, raised a total of $30,500."

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