http://time.com/money/4195204/2015-donations-colleges-universities/
Penn raked in the 10th largest amount in donations last year. Also Stanford beat Harvard for first place.
My kid, a current freshman, was only at Penn a few weeks before he got an email asking for a donation. Usually colleges wait until a student graduates before hitting them up for alumni donations.
This is even more impressive given that Penn has only just recently finished its largest capital campaign in the history of the University. To maintain giving at this level is a great accomplishment outside of a traditional fundraising effort.
I’ll second @lslmom, mine is a freshman too and we got the same thing. My immediate thought was that I make a healthy “donation” twice a year when the tuition bill shows up. I’m afraid that’s going to have to do for now.
@nhparent9 @lslmom this is true i remember they sent that to my parents too when I got into Penn, and my parents said the same thing, that until I graduate they are paying enough in tuition, so we would not be making any donations. that said you cannot blame Penn for trying and being on top of their fundraising game. Nobody is directly or indirectly pushed to give donations. i am sure there are many parents who start giving straight away for various reasons (maybe have younger children who wanna send to penn etc). if they do it, it must mean it produces results.
@nhparent9 you realize Penn is subsidizing your child’s education? Even if your full pay the amount the University spends per student is nearly double the total COA.
@Penn95 i said my 18 year old freshman was asked for a donation shortly after arriving on campus. I was asked too of course but I think it is odd for the students to be hit up for donations, especially when they haven’t even finished their first semester at Penn.
@Ksty1098 - Of course I’m aware of that. That doesn’t mean I have more to give than the family is already providing. For those families that are struggling to do their best by their children, getting solicited for donations in their first semester freshman year struck me as strange. Honestly, given how hard it is to meet the expected family contribution, I can see where some might even describe it as distasteful. I don’t find it that way, but it did occur to me.
I trust you realize Penn has billions and billions of dollars in endowment? And before you ask, yes I do have a fundamental understanding of how endowments are allocated and earmarked.
Here’s Why UPenn Produces More Billionaires Than Any Other School In The World
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-upenn-produces-so-many-billionaires-2014-10
@nhparent9 the way you said " I make a healthy “donation” twice a year when the tuition bill shows up" makes it sound like you think you are doing a service to the school, and not the other way around. I just was to make sure everyone understood it was not so.
My original comment was plainly tongue in cheek. Not to be argumentative, but I look at the relationship as two way where both parties are benefitting. My kid was a very heavily recruited athlete who had numerous options at a variety of schools. Given his major time and effort commitment to the school, I would say there is at least some give and take in the relationship, on both sides.
That said, we are happy Penn parents with a happy Penn student athlete. It’s all good.