How much do you give to your college/grad school in donations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the HHI of those donating in the thousands?? We make around $200k and nothing more than $100 seems right.

That's about our household income. We don't donate in the thousands to our school because we believe our impact is better elsewhere for a variety of reasons, but we do donate in the thousands to a few other charities for a total of roughly 5% of our HHI.

[Anonymous]

"$1000 a year to my undergrad college (SLAC). I got a lot of financial aid, including grants, when I was a student. When I was in my 20's I would donate $50-100 a year but now I try not to give such small amounts to any charity--I think it just creates more paperwork for them and doesn't do a lot to actually help--I try to give at least $250, even though it means I support fewer organizations. (Except, I guess with colleges the % of alums who donate factors into some of the college rankings, so maybe its worth it to give small amounts for that reason.)

Nothing to my grad school, AKA The Extremely Wealthy University That Ate Washington DC And Doesn't Need Any More Money."

+1, though it is only $500 to my SLAC

[Anonymous]

$0. I paid full freight to go to my law school and they've almost doubled tuition since I graduated 6 years ago. Disgusting.

[Anonymous]

I give $100/year to my SLAC. My husband gives more - $500 some years - to his smaller, less well-known SLAC because he got a full ride.

He also went to the aforementioned Extremely Wealthy University That Ate Washington DC And Doesn't Need Any More Money for law school, and they are never getting a dime from us.

[Anonymous]

$0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$0. I paid full freight to go to my law school and they've almost doubled tuition since I graduated 6 years ago. Disgusting.

Law schools are the worst tuition-increase offenders. I have no idea how the deans and staff can look at themselves in the mirror, knowing they perpetuate the law-school myth.

[Anonymous]

$0.

Fuck em. I paid full ride for my MBA while I watched others get scholarships because they happened to be a minority. Good for them, but as far as I'm concerned I already donated by subsidizing the education of others. They'll never get a penny from me.

[Anonymous]

$0. Our charity money goes elsewhere. I got PhD from one school and they still address all my correspondence as Ms. But the bigger problem is the state of the American university with 70% of the professoriate working in non-tenure track positions. Most people teaching at the university level today make peanuts while undergrads pay $50,000 a year. I won't support a corrupt institution. It's falling apart and my one donation is not going to save it. In 50 years the face of higher education will look drastically different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"$1000 a year to my undergrad college (SLAC). I got a lot of financial aid, including grants, when I was a student. When I was in my 20's I would donate $50-100 a year but now I try not to give such small amounts to any charity--I think it just creates more paperwork for them and doesn't do a lot to actually help--I try to give at least $250, even though it means I support fewer organizations. (Except, I guess with colleges the % of alums who donate factors into some of the college rankings, so maybe its worth it to give small amounts for that reason.)

Nothing to my grad school, AKA The Extremely Wealthy University That Ate Washington DC And Doesn't Need Any More Money."

+1, though it is only $500 to my SLAC

GW or Georgetown?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$0. It's a public institution and I pay taxes.

State support of education is down to an average of about 15-20% in this country. Did you get scholarships/fellowships? Those were likely paid for with charitable dollars. Your education was supported by other people. Think about today's kids who will become the next generation of taxpayers. We all benefit when they do well.

My father was the budget director of the university. I know all about college finances. I know all about the waste, and the way they've maximized revenues through federally guaranteed student loans, often to student detriment. The college funding issue is a compete disaster and my paltry donations will do nothing to address core issues. Indeed, I think they would help perpetuate the problems.

[Anonymous]

$2-$5K per year to umd. It substantially made me the person I am today. It was a great value for the money when I went and still is today. Income varies a bit, but around $1M

[Anonymous]

I laugh when I get yet another letter asking for donations from my law school. I paid the full tuition when I attended and just barely finished paying off my loans a year ago. The tuition is now three (!) times what it was when I attended in the late 90s. Why in the world would they need more of my money? To build an even better gym?! Or to pad an already fat endowment? If they really want to convince me to contribute, they've got to send me their financial statements with every single expense and asset listed, and show the actual need, instead of continuously appealing to my sense of loyalty to what is essentially a hugely profitable business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$0.

Fuck em. I paid full ride for my MBA while I watched others get scholarships because they happened to be a minority. Good for them, but as far as I'm concerned I already donated by subsidizing the education of others. They'll never get a penny from me.

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"$1000 a year to my undergrad college (SLAC). I got a lot of financial aid, including grants, when I was a student. When I was in my 20's I would donate $50-100 a year but now I try not to give such small amounts to any charity--I think it just creates more paperwork for them and doesn't do a lot to actually help--I try to give at least $250, even though it means I support fewer organizations. (Except, I guess with colleges the % of alums who donate factors into some of the college rankings, so maybe its worth it to give small amounts for that reason.)

Nothing to my grad school, AKA The Extremely Wealthy University That Ate Washington DC And Doesn't Need Any More Money."

+1, though it is only $500 to my SLAC

GW or Georgetown?

GW. The money they have (and what they choose to spend it on) is appalling.

[Anonymous]

$1000 to undergrad, $1000 to grad school.