Hi! I am currently a sophomore thanks to a huge scholarship at a highly prestigeous Liberal Arts College. My parents still have to struggle to pay for the remaining percentage that the scholarship does not cover. I am extremely thankfull and hope to give back in the future, because otherwise I would have not been able to receive an education, but my parents are being bombarded by emails requesting for donations. To be honest, the most they could afford to donate at this point considering our families financial situation is $100-$200. The thing is: Is it OK to donate just that? Should we respond to those emails? Is a student on a major scholarship expected to donate while still struggling to pay for college plus having to pay a student loan after graduation? Is it OK to postpone donating until I can do it myself instead of puting an additional burden on my family? Thank you.
the school is looking for the highest participation rate possible . That means yes, donate whatever you can.
They just want to see your participation. Later in life you can continue and increase to a meaningful level.
Donate what you can afford. That can be a $1. I would not feel guilty if it is zero. You have 60+ years after graduation to show your appreciation and support to the school. At this stage, the school doesn’t expect much. They just want you to get in the habit of donating.
Understand that these emails are automatic. They are sent to every email address the school has access to. You will be getting them for the rest of your life.
Ignore the requests…they have found that some parents will contribute so they send emails.
I was paying full cost of my daughter’s college and I said to myself “are you kidding?”
Also I thought “I send money to my alma mater, she can send it to hers.”
Like stones3 said, the school will benefit from having a high percentage of donors. A donation of any amount gets counted, so if you like your school, try to donate. I donated just $10 per year when we were paying the big tuition bills but it counted in the participation percentage.
DH once asked the telemarketer for the college, “What, the $50,000 we send you each year isn’t enough?”
(We do donate to specific funds at the college sometimes, e.g. the Hillel that the kid attends for Shabbat dinners, and to our alma maters.)
My school has a fundraising campaign where students are urged to fill up a small piggy bank with spare change and donate it at the end of the year (so the donations are realistically 10 dollars at most.) Since I’m on a full scholarship that is funded by the generosity of alumni donations, I try to make an effort to pitch in something, even if it isn’t some glittering 250,000 dollar donation that will earn me a name on some placard lol. I’ve also written thank you cards to distinguished alumni donors expressing my gratitude for their generosity.
Most people who make substantial donations to their school do so well after they graduate when they’ve already established themselves careerwise and can afford to be very philanthropic.
Thank you for all the input, it helps a lot to learn about how others view the sittuation! I guess it is a good idea to make a small donation for now. I am extremely grateful for being able to attend, I just felt bad for not being able to give back as much as I would like.
I like chatting with the kids who call from D2’s school. Am even connected in LinkedIn with one! I don’t give a lot. Give $10 and tell your parents to skip it if it is a financial hardship. But later in life, think about how much this scholarship meant to you, and give more if you can.
I got a lot of need-based aid while I was in undergrad so I’d kick in $20 or so when they call.
I hope to one day give much more so that other high needs students like myself can continue to receive aid.
I had a big scholarship at an LAC, too, and I donated every year. It wasn’t a big amount - around $10-20 a year. The reason is (as my college explained it) participation rates are sometimes more important than amounts. When colleges go to really big donors like corporations, foundations, etc., those companies like to see higher alumni donation levels because it suggests buy-in from alumni - more commitment to the college. So the college really encourages students to donate what they can, even if it’s only a little.
Plus, it starts a precedent of giving. I gave as a student and now that I am out of college, I donate every year - just more. (I give unrestricted gifts so that my college can use the money where they need it the most.)