Do you give $ to your alma mater?.... why or why not?

[Anonymous]

I donated throughout my 20s, we’re double legacy at our alma mater, but as we’ve gotten older we’ve become more distant and less connected to the school. Haven’t been to homecoming in years for example, so less inclined to give now and we direct our charitable contributions elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we are double legacy and donate annually without fail. Not thousands, mind you. But it’s not nothing to us and we want to support the schools we attended.

[Anonymous]

No. I just paid off my student loans at 46. DH still has student loans. If we were not paying 600/month for billion years then we would have.

Not sure I would want DD attending my school anyway. DH maybe.

[Anonymous]

Yes, because I'm grateful for the experience I had. I think we give $50/month, so not huge numbers (DH is also an alum).

[Anonymous]

We do really just a little to our double alma mater. Both me and DH were full pay, it's a private school, I kind of feel like we (and my parents) paid for services received. It was a good school, we are happy we went, we have donated to a few specific requests. But like a PP said, it's not really a priority for my charitable giving. My charities include community things I feel strongly about, my kids' private school, my church, etc.

[Anonymous]

Through my 20s and early 30s, yes. Now, no, because they sent me so much crap, wasting so much money, I told them if continued, I would stop donating.

They sent more crap (I think it was a rubik's cube with campus buildings on each side that sent me over the edge), and I told them I was done.

[Anonymous]

This is how I feel about about donating to my alma mater https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiqKK4ysI7g

[Anonymous]

I do, but only $50 a year. I went a LAC that's not elite and has really diversified their student body racially and economically. I figure big time donors like seeing engaged alums who donate. It does not not seem to be a school in danger of closing anytime soon, but it doesn't have close to Williams or Amherst's endowment. I don't donate to my boarding school or my business school because I don't see the purpose.

[Anonymous]

Rarely. My alma mater has a large endowment, so when I do give it’s to student-run organizations doing work I believe in. More often these days I give to HBCUs and community colleges, which get a lot more impact from smaller gifts.

[Anonymous]

I went to a state flagship, DH went to Duke. He gives 2K/year to Duke and has for probably about 20 years. I do not donate to my alma mater. We are not wealthy but UMC.

We both loved our undergraduate educations. I think Duke does a better job of marketing it.

[Anonymous]

Nope - it has become a real estate holding company and I think it hasn’t lost its way

[Anonymous]

Nope - it has become a real estate holding company and I think it has lost its way

[Anonymous]

Yes. $5,000 a year. Because I believe in the mission.

[Anonymous]

My alma mater has an obscenely high endowment per student and an incredibly efficient network of university employees and alumni who chase down donations every year.

I used to give them $250-500 every year. Then I read about the endowment and saw how pampered current students are. Now I give them $25 every year and donate $200-500 that is split between my high school, which is now over 50% FARMS, and the high school my kids attended, which is relatively low FARMS but always gets short-changed by our school board.

[Anonymous]

Nope. My alma mater has a like nine billion dollar endowment, my extra money goes to actual charities that need the money.