Between March 1996 and November 1997, a study was conducted to determine the level of fundraising performance for both the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY), and to identify the "best" fundraising practices. SUNY and CUNY fundraising results for fiscal year 1995 were compared with those of other higher education institutions, development peers, and academic peers. Results indicated that SUNY and CUNY raised significantly less money than the top-20 higher education fundraisers nationally and also raised less than their development and academic peer institutions. In terms of dollars raised as a percentage of general and educational expenditures, SUNY's fundraising efforts were less successful than those of its peers for all types of campuses in the SUNY system. CUNY's performance was better than that of its development peers at certain campuses but trailed that of its academic peers at all campuses. Individual campus results varied greatly. Best fundraising practices were determined to be the following: making staff and resource commitments, obtaining experience, maintaining adequate records, pursuing prospect research, having annual fund and planned giving programs, and promoting good relations with corporations and foundations. Appendices include report contributors and SUNY/CUNY officials. (YKH)