<p>I've been working on our taxes (fun, fun, fun) and I'm doing the charitable contributions portion now. Earlier this week I got another solicitation from D's college, and I'm curious how others approach this:</p>
<p>We make contributions every year (as best we can) to the university we (husband and I) graduated from, and made a pretty nominal contribution to D's university parents' fund this past fall. </p>
<p>I'm inclined to think that is a reasonable approach -- we benefitted greatly from the incredible educations we got from the UC system way back when Cal schools were really cheap, and we're happy to give back to help other kids today even though we don't live in California any longer. I hope that when D graduates from her University that she'll begin regularly contributing to it, but I think that we don't personally have some moral obligation to direct our contributions in that direction, at least not to any significant extent.</p>
<p>But now I'm wondering -- is that what you all think? Do you contribute heavily to your child's universities rather than your own alma mater?</p>
<p>My parents steadfastly refuse to contribute to either their alma marter, or their children’s. To quote my dad, “We had a contract–we paid tuition; they provided an education and degree.” </p>
<p>I’m not sure if I’ll contribute to my university after I graduate.</p>
<p>Absolutely not–we are paying full fare tuition right now at private college ($50,000+) and feel that it will be our student’s responsibility to contribute to alma mater. Student also attended a private HS and once again, will be our student’s responsibility to contribute. As far as contributions to our alma maters, no, we do not contribute as our own parents paid full freight. We felt it more important to pass the tradition to our own student and save as our parents did to pay for our child’s education, rather than count on financial aid or saddle our student with loans. This was our Personal choice and I certainly realize that for many students aid and loans are what make an education possible. We simply do not have money to spare to donate to our student’s college much less our alma maters.</p>
<p>We have donated fairly generously to our kids’ university. The university has been generous to them with scholarships and the quality of the education.</p>
<p>I do not donate to my college as I am very disappointed in how they are operating and decisions they have made.</p>
<p>DH gives to one of his universities (he has three). He gives to the one where he got his master’s degree, again because of the quality of the education.</p>
<p>We donate to our colleges.
I agree with the posters who say that these are the STUDENTS’ colleges, and that they should donate after graduation. And tuition, even after scholarships or aid, are like the national debt!
But, that being said, the colleges have parents’ campaigns where participation counts. They try for as close to 100% participation as they can get. This gives them leverage in getting corporate donations, if they can say that the community (in this case alumni and parents) are participating at a high level.
For that reason, we give SMALL contributions to our kids’ colleges. When I get solicited, I say something like, “I know that you are trying to get widespread participation, but I can only afford a small contribution because I am supporting so much tuition right now. However, I will give a small contribution because I know that you need the numbers for participation.” The solicitors accept that easily.</p>
<p>We donate to our own colleges/grad/professional schools and not at all to the kids’ schools. We are paying a lot… Daughter donates to her alma mater (Rice)- I think. We donate to the various private and boarding schools they attended along the way, too, because these places that meant a lot to the kids AND us as parents.</p>
<p>Dh and I will not contribute to our alma mater, because we are disappointed in decisions it has made.</p>
<p>If S were full-pay to his university, we wouldn’t consider making a donation. But since he has an extremely generous full ride merit scholarship, I am inclined to give a little something to them. They definitely “showed the love” to S in a very big way, and so I think they at least deserve a little hug in return.</p>
<p>I paid full fare at my undergrad and grad colleges: I do not donate
Husband paid full fare at his undergrad college: He does not donate.
Husbands work paid for his grad degree: He donates.</p>
<p>Son awarded full ride at his college: we donate and will continue to donate to this school.Son also donates to his school. HE LOVES HIS SCHOOL!</p>
<p>So, I’m guessing that colleges that give full-ride or substantial scholarships tend to receive donations. I kind of feel bad for the colleges that stiff-arm some kids… oh, wait, no I don’t.</p>
<p>We give a small amount to our own alma mater (we both went to the same state U, but out-of-state), and when we finally get free from paying the better part of the tuition to our S & D’s current SLAC, we will probably donate a small amount there as well. </p>
<p>It is true that tuition and other expenses are skyrocketing, but state-‘supported’ colleges are receiving a smaller proportion of their budgets from their states each year. Meanwhile, many privates are being squeezed by lower funding from non-tuition sources and a greater need for financial aid. So, bottom line, they are going to go after anyone they can to help them out financially, including parents of students. Knowing the lowly status of my kids’ college’s endowment and the quality of education they have received so far, I will feel just fine about contributing something (AFTER we finish paying off the current tuition bills).</p>
<p>Depends. My first reaction is that we are being squeezed financially in paying for the college right now. I don’t think I’m too interested in making contributions to the general fund raiser while my child is in school for that reason. Also, who knows if this is going to be a positive experience for the student until it’s over? Things have often occurred where families have not been happy with a school. Wait till the end result and how you feel about this when your child is done with the school.</p>
<p>However, there are occasions when I have donated to specific fundraisers at schools where my kids attend. The theater fund, the dorm fund, the sports fund, etc or some special fund raiser that is directed towards getting something I feel is important. It’s your money, so you should donate only if you want to do so.</p>
<p>We paid full fare and also donated while they were attending, but not after. We also donated to their private high school as well, as H’s company has matching funds for educational contributions, and the school really does rely on annual giving in order to continue to bring the high quality educational experience that they received.
At daughter’s college we were able to give directly to her residential college within the university she attended, and the money was earmarked for extras such as trips and concerts for the students. There wasn’t a hugh amount of pressure to give- we just wanted to.
Now that D has graduated, she gives a small amount herself, and I hope my son will do the same once he’s employed.</p>
<p>My parents paid full fair for me undergrad and grad. I am happy to make my small donations to the alumni funds as is my husband. I also give money to Radcliffe separately from Harvard because I like what they do. I didn’t give money to my grad school for a long time because I didn’t like the direction the Dean took it. He stepped down a while ago, but they seem to have given up dunning me! I give small amounts to my (private) high school, but not as regularly as I used to. I really learned more there than in college. </p>
<p>I don’t think we should have to give money to our son’s college when we are paying big bucks for him, but unfortunately they always seem to get my husband on the phone. He’s incapable of saying no. So we give a small amount every year.</p>
<p>H and I give to our various universities, both undergraduate and graduate. They were public universities and as such, we were subsidized by the taxpayers of those states.</p>
<p>I give a little bit to the university my son attends, and I hope he gives generously some day, because they have been very generous with him. I must say I was really turned off by the Parents/Grandparents campaign literature I received in which the lowest pre-marked contribution was some exorbitant amount. I know there are a lot of very wealthy families at this school, but it put me in the position of looking cheap when I had to write in a relatively miniscule (or is that minuscule?) amount.</p>
<p>We pay full freight for D, and paid for private school as well. We donated some small amounts to her high school, but nothing to her college. She loves the place, but it’s her institution, not ours.</p>
<p>I donate to my college (for which my parents paid full freight) but not to my grad school (for which I received a full-tuition grant). I adored my undergraduate days and go back to reunions regularly. Grad school was fine, but I feel no attachment to the place.</p>
<p>DH (parents paid full freight) gives to his school which also happens to be S1’s (got nice merit awards) sch. Kills two birds with one stone. </p>
<p>I don’t give to my school as S2 is a current full pay student there. Our giving is in the form of tution. I imagine we might donate there once through paying tution as we plan to retire to the area and will be part of the school communtiy.</p>
<p>We don’t donate to either h’s or my undergrad. We donate to his grad school because it opened doors for him.</p>
<p>We aren’t parents of a college student yet, but we’ll be close to full freight so we won’t donate anything. If she chooses to contribute as an alumnus, that will be her choice.</p>
<p>I’m seeing a pattern on this thread - generous colleges reap the investment in later years ;)</p>
<p>I donate to my college, but not to either of my grad schools. The only donation I intend to make to S’s school is called tuition. If he wants to donate after (if) he graduates, that’s up to him.</p>