Reunion Giving: Together for the Future

One year at INSEAD can shape a lifetime, forging strong bonds among classmates and between alumni and the school. Reunions rekindle those connections, inspiring generous class gifts that unite classmates in supporting the future. 2020 and 2021 was no exception, as MBA classes kept the tradition of class giving going strong while they celebrated and came together digitally. 

Despite the lack of in-person gatherings, alumni celebrating reunions set new records and found creative ways to direct their philanthropy for impact. For example:

• Seventy percent of the MBA’10J class made a reunion gift — the second highest participation rate in INSEAD’s 63-year history. The only class to cross the 70% mark in 2020, MBA’10J now holds the record for highest-ever participation in a 10-year reunion gift, almost setting a new record for amount raised — particularly impressive during a pandemic.
• Innovators since 2005, MBA’05J & D classes focused their philanthropy on social justice issues in 2020. Together, classmates raised scholarship funds for a student whose experiences and potential reflect the aspirations of the global Black Lives Matter movement, a powerful statement of the collective commitment to diversity at INSEAD.
• In 2015, MBA’90J broke INSEAD’s participation record for a 25th reunion when 49% of the class made a gift. In 2020, MBA’90J set out to break their own record as well as the INSEAD record for a 30th reunion, aiming for 53% participation. Their campaign, launched in October 2020, is still running, with 30% of classmates making a gift — halfway to their goal — and a total of 130,900 euros raised as of 31 August 2021.
• To celebrate their 45th reunion, the alumni of MBA’75 recommitted to the ground-breaking MBA’75 Nelson Mandela Endowed Fund established for their 30-year reunion in 2005. Classmates have been instrumental in enabling INSEAD to scale up aid to Africa, driving greater diversity and inclusion in the INSEAD MBA programme.

The majority of reunion classes directed their gifts toward the Dean’s Fund in 2020 and 2021, providing flexible resources to support core priorities and urgent needs. The Dean’s Fund has proven essential to helping the school meet pandemic challenges, boosting student and scholarship support when the need was greater than ever.

INSEAD is deeply grateful for the generosity of reunion classes at a time of global challenge. We extend thanks to the alumni who generously contributed to class gifts, and to the volunteers who, despite cancelled in-person reunions, rallied classmates around the world to support INSEAD in a show of class spirit.