Has your school's annual fund/alumni contacted you?

[DeltaSigStan]

I know this should be in Alumni, but I figured more people would see it here.

I work for SDSU's Annual Fund, NOT as a caller, but as an assistant to the director.

I was just wondering if any of you have gotten that student asking you to donate money. What's your first thoughts? Do you just hang up? Do you donate money?

[33girl]

I donate money now, but for a while I did not as I was very unhappy with the direction the administration was taking. I let the caller know that was why.

[TheEpitome1920]

I use to work for our Alumni Giving office. I never did calls (the univ. contracts out for that so its not actual DePaul students) but we use to hear stories of people getting CUSSED out. It takes a lot of guts to call people asking them for money.

[DeltaSigStan]

Originally posted by 33girl
I donate money now, but for a while I did not as I was very unhappy with the direction the administration was taking. I let the caller know that was why.

Haha that's where I come in. One of my duties is to find info for disgruntled alums and send them the findings.

I guess my mirror at your school did his/her job

[KellyB369]

I've been contacted two or three times (I graduated in May 03). The first time I said I wasn't interested in giving at that time. I have caller ID and I know that if the number starts with 512 or 515 it's campus so the other times I just didn't answer. I'll give in the future, but sometimes I feel like I'm more broke now than I was in college.

[ADPiShannan]

Well as a Akron Alum they send you things asking you to donate, they dont call. I usually throw it away. They just got over a billion to build all sorts of new stuff on campus and it is gonna look awesome, why do I need to send them money.. lol. They raised my tuition every semester that stupid 5 or 10% jacked up housing prices, never were parking spots, and here they get money and build new things and still are jacking prices up each semester and parking still isnt good. True they gave me a good degree, sorority sisters who I love, memories, and the campus was fun, but until I am more on my own feet I wont donate. I think I may years from now, but Ive only been out one year now and I may be going back lol......

As for sorority, I give money to them whenever I can. My chapter has a fundraiser and we had one a few years back so we arent due for new ones for a few years. I think I may start a savings account at a diff bank and start saving a little each month so I can give a nice donation when the fundraiser comes around in 3 or 4 years. I donate to our philanthropy all the time. I donate time and volunteer, I give money, and I take food and supplies to the Ronald McDonald house whenever I can.

As for HS lol, I went to a private HS so they send out newsletters twice a year about the school and they always have forms in there so you can donate. Again the place was good except we needed our own pool, but dont have space for one, so I wont be donating anytime soon lol.

[APhi Sailorgirl]

I mean yes I loved my college, and yes I will probably give back to them and my sorority's foundation along with my own chapter, but geez the least the college alumni foundation could do was wait until we had officially graduated!!

Seriously it was bad enough having my parents get called for money, asking me to put toward some stupid senior gift, but then on the day of GRADUATION REHEARSAL, they are already bombarding us with PLEASE DONATE!

And need I mention the fact that I paid out of state tuition for four years and our campus is getting an I.M. Pei designed arts center, a new library, a new student center, a new residence hall, and a new university village. Plus for those of you who went to college in Virginia do realize the huge budget cuts that took place.

I think the icing on the cake was that when I did move home after graduation (about 3 weeks later) waiting in my mail was another letter from the alumni foundation asking for a donation.

Hmm which to pay first, student loans and credit cards, or give more money to my school???

Ok, that was my soapbox. It's not that I mind getting the soliciting (how else will they money), but at least have common sense and tact people!!

[aephi alum]

My school always seems to have its hand out for alumni donations. We get mailings probably 3-4 times a year, and there is an annual telethon.

We received one of the "please give us money" mailings a couple of days after 9/11/01. It had dropped the day before 9/11. Talk about bad timing...! The school sent a very apologetic letter a few days later.

My husband and I went to the same school... the alumni office can't seem to figure out that we're married, even though we have the same last name, address, and phone number. Usually he'll get a call, then five minutes later the phone will ring for me. We also get two copies of every mailing, including the alumni magazine.

My personal favorite: During my graduate year, I was living in an on-campus apartment. The phone rang (single ring = internal call) - it was someone from the telethon. She identified herself, then went on, "For a generous donation of $250, you can help sponsor some of these many programs..." I very carefully explained to her that I was a grad student, she had to have known I was a grad student because she called my dormline, I had just written the school a check for $12,000, I hadn't bought my textbooks yet, and it was very unlikely I'd have $25, never mind $250, in my checking account once I did. If she hadn't started off by asking for $250, I might have sent in a small donation, but she put me off and I did not donate at all that year.

** There's a word of advice for you. Don't scare off alums (especially recent alums who might not have found jobs yet or who might be poor starving grad students) from donating by asking for a large sum of money. If they're inclined to donate, they'll donate as their means allow.

[tinydancer]

I have degrees from 3 different universities so I get 3 times the donation calls, which is annoying when they all call within the same week.

[Kevin]

There was a big drive before I graduated. Since then, I occasionally get mailings. I guess they figure I'm not rich enough yet.

[astroAPhi]

Originally posted by APhi Sailorgirl
I mean yes I loved my college, and yes I will probably give back to them and my sorority's foundation along with my own chapter, but geez the least the college alumni foundation could do was wait until we had officially graduated!!

Seriously it was bad enough having my parents get called for money, asking me to put toward some stupid senior gift, but then on the day of GRADUATION REHEARSAL, they are already bombarding us with PLEASE DONATE!

Oh that senior gift thing pissed me off so bad. "Leaving our legacy", my ass. They wanted money from all the seniors to buy benches for the new dorms. Why the heck do they need these new benches so bad? It's just going to be a concrete piece of crap.

Seriously though, I would donate if I had a say in where it went. I'd donate money to scholarships and to the Greek Life department.

[DeltaSigStan]

Well, our SCG is a huge sign overlooking the freeway saying 'Welcomne to SDSU", something we'eve never had....is THAT ok?

[Gina1201]

Originally posted by DeltaSigStan
I was just wondering if any of you have gotten that student asking you to donate money. What's your first thoughts? Do you just hang up? Do you donate money?

My first thought was no, but since it was a student that I knew I decided to donate because he said the more people he got to donate, the more money he would make (it was part of a work-study job).

[aephi alum]

Originally posted by astroAPhi
Oh that senior gift thing pissed me off so bad. "Leaving our legacy", my ass.

We did the senior gift thing too. Each class's officers decided what the gift would be, then hounded the rest of the seniors to donate. A couple of the senior gifts have been useful, but ours was... well, not. Our gift was a fund from which student orgs could request money to host events for the community. There was already a (much larger!) fund for this purpose. So it's not exactly something we can point out to the grandkids someday.

We have a fair amount of say in where our alum donations go. You can designate your donation for certain programs (religious groups, athletic teams, certain student orgs - not GLOs or their governing bodies, though) or leave it unrestricted. If you specify where your donation is to go, you get "credit" for donating both to the school and to, say, Hillel or the track team. (That also means that when Hillel or the track team runs its own telethon, they don't bug you because you have already given. )

[DeltaSigStan]

In 25 years, you can all go to the Stan Mangindin Memorial Alumni Center and have a drink

Stan-
Seriously, the naming rights are still up, and it's only a cool mil I think lol...