<p>Seems to be that time of year again for solicitations from parents for donations to their children's colleges.
Do you give? Why or why not?</p>
<p>Yes we do, both to the undergrad school my oldest attended 7 yrs ago and the school her sister is currently attending.
However we were not involved at all with the grad school so we aren’t on their call list, & I rarely think about them.
As the schools get additional funding depending on numbers of donors, we give what we can, every bit helps.</p>
<p>I have two kids in college, both of whom receive need-based aid. My assumption is that if either college felt it appropriate for us to give them more money, they would simply reduce the aid they give us. Also, since their FA calculations do not account for charitable donations at all, it appears that they prefer that we not donate during the college years and save our money for tuition payments.</p>
<p>Money is tight during the college years. Our budget can’t afford to add new recipients to our list of charities.</p>
<p>Finally, since we are already borrowing money to pay current college expenses, any money we donate to the college could theoretically be used to pay down our loans. We would be effectively borrowing to donate - an irresponsible decision by almost any measure.</p>
<p>We don’t give to colleges now. We probably will start at some point after the kids graduate.</p>
<p>I have two kids in college - a senior and a freshman. Both received good sized merit scholarships, even though we could have paid full price. As a result, I am more than happy to make annual contributions to both schools and feel it is appropriate given the generous gifts we have received.</p>
<p>Yes, we do. D attends her oos university on a full ride honors scholarship. We feel it’s only right to give back but we do specify where the $ goes. </p>
<p>S is a full pay student but he is having a wonderful experience at his school. Within driving distance, DH and I enjoy visiting him. We also donate to the organization that S is involved in.</p>
<p>My parents have given to my alma mater for more than 50 years, so yes, I give a small amount to my kids colleges.</p>
<p>Yep, sure do. All my kiddos received substantial aid (full rides and then some) to attend their respective colleges, and even though I contribute a paltry amount to each, $10, they send a very nice thank you note each year. And I know my children each contribute to their schools as well now that they have graduated and can contribute. A few are alumni reps and provide additional services to their schools.</p>
<p>As a single mom receiving the letter in the mail reminding me of how much they have achieved is a wonderful feeling and I am very honored to be able to contribute something, granted it is a very small amount.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>No, I do not and will not until my children are finished with college. These are the lean years for us, and we pay enough towards college costs and contribute enough to the college in many ways. And until experience is done, I 'm not sure, whether it’s where I want to contribute. I do contribute to a number of charities were the need is more drastic for funds, and I feel that those benefitting are truly needier than I am. I don’t feel that way about colleges, or schools at the moment WHen my kids are done, maybe I’ll feel that wya. There might also be schools that I won’t want to contribute a dime to due to the experiences with them. THe jury’s still out while my kids are still in the schools.</p>
<p>We donate to all of our alumni associations annually…for us (parents) and both kids.</p>
<p>Not a chance. I give to 2 of my alma maters, and my kids can decide whether to give to theirs.</p>
<p>Yes, we donate to our kids’ university (singular because they both attended the same one). As others have mentioned, the university was generous in the scholarships they were awarded and we are very grateful for the education they received. We also donate to the university where H got his master’s degree. Of the three he attended (BA, MA and PhD) that is the only one worth a donation in his eyes. Mine? Never.</p>
<p>D3’s school bundles a “voluntary” donation to the parents association in with the tuition bill. You can have it removed if you call the office, but I’m betting most people don’t.</p>
<p>No, I have never given to the college D attended, but H and I give to both of our alma maters as well as to S’s high school.</p>
<p>We donate to current schools but not much. We give more significant amounts to schools we attended.</p>
<p>I donate. Not a lot, around 1 pct of cost, but they are so nice at Tufts whenever you have a question and more to the point they are so lovely to my child that I like giving them a contribution</p>
<p>I feel like we give enough in tuition, but dh will always give if they call. It’s not a big enough deal to argue with him, and we are very happy with the opportunities both schools gave our kids. (Including for our youngest a grant to spend part of his winter break freshman year researching nuclear issues in India and Pakistan.)</p>
<p>I’m paying plenty enough as it is. I don’t believe my parents were even solicited when I was in school.</p>
<p>I used to donate annually to my alma mater, but stopped when D’s tuition started. I figure 30+ years of donation is sufficient.</p>
<p>I’m one of the parents who did call to have the voluntary donation removed from the bill.</p>
<p>I’m finding that I prefer to give locally to arts-based groups that I know personally. I’m actually kinda shocked to learn that so many (here, at least) give $$ while their kids are attending school. </p>
<p>feeling a bit miserly now…</p>
<p>No. We are full pay. I think that’s enough. I tell them that when they call. These are rich schools, I don’t feel particularly obligated to put them at the head of my charity dollar list.</p>
<p>I do not feel I have an obligation to contribute to my children’s schools. It was not I who attended them, and I also do not have the income that accompanies their elite school degrees. They should be the ones to give if they choose.</p>
<p>I gave a little to my own school when I was working, but as a stay-at-home mom now I am not earning a salary. Our family, including S, gives a percentage of our income to charities that help the needy via our church. If we had more money, I would put my college and D’s generous school on our giving list, but probably not S’s. They ticked us off in a variety of ways, such as in their leadership selections and their handling of a number of policy issues.</p>
<p>I give a small donation every year. My daughter received grants and scholarships and I feel that she was a recipient of some of what others gave, and she got a lot out of her time there.
Her sister is very interested in a program they offer , although I never thought of her attending college in a city. I hope she will have the same luck in getting accepted there when her time comes</p>