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1. SMU's tuition and endowment are so high; why do they need more money?
- SMU is fortunate to have a substantial endowment, just over $1 billion. However, only about 5% of SMU's annual budget is obtained from the endowment each year as much of this money is held in restricted trusts or reserved for specific accounts. Also, in order to generate the same amount raised by annual funds last year, the endowment would have needed to grow an additional $42 million.
Annual giving dollars go immediately back to the students by providing scholarships, improving technology, among other great needs. Regardless of size, your support is important and does make a difference to the students of SMU.
2. Why should I give to the SMU Fund?
- Tuition, fees, and endowment income don't cover the total cost of what it takes to provide an SMU education each year. In fact, tuition covers only about 75% of the entire cost of an SMU degree. Many people don't realize that alumni have always supported the SMU Fund to help defray the cost of rising tuition.
Alumni, parents, and friends contribute to the SMU Fund each year and help meet the University's ongoing need for flexible, unrestricted income to support our academic missions.
Last year alone, thousands of donors provided significant support to the SMU Fund that helped the University:
- Attract and maintain world-class faculty in each department
- Continue its commitment to need-based financial aid
- Renew subscriptions to scholarly journals and keep our library up-to-date with the information our students need to support their educational experience
- Purchase needed materials and technologies used by our faculty members
- Provide support for every facet of the student experience
Simply put, as an SMU Fund participant, you help SMU continue to grow as an incomparable place of higher learning.
3. What is SMU’s annual giving goal for Fiscal Year 2007?- SMU’s goal is to increase our participation to 30% by 2013, from just 14% in 2006. In order to meet this ambitious goal, SMU depends on continuing annual support from alumni, parents and friends. Please make your annual gift by May 31, 2007.
4. What’s the difference between a restricted and unrestricted gift? Unrestricted Gifts vs. Endowment Gifts
- Money generated by the SMU endowment is allocated in advance for specific uses. Money from the SMU Fund, in contrast, is unrestricted, which means that it is disbursed on a current-use basis to meet some of the university's most pressing needs.
5. What if I can't afford to make a large gift this year? Does my gift even make a difference?
- Every tax-deductible gift makes a difference to SMU. Your gift sends a powerful message that you support this institution and its educational mission, and it has made a difference in your life. Gifts of all sizes make an impact. Some foundations and other grant-making organizations look at the number of gifts rather than total amounts when determining grant requests. Your gift, viewed as a vote of confidence, could help SMU secure thousands of dollars in funding.
6. Does my gift count toward my reunion?
- Absolutely. In your reunion year, your gift IS your Reunion Class Gift. Every five years during a reunion celebration, we hope that you will make that meaningful "stretch" gift to show how much your SMU experience meant to you.
7. I work for a matching gift company. How do I secure a matching gift for SMU?-
Thanks for designating your company's matching gifts to SMU. If you or your spouse work for a matching gift company, and you direct it to SMU along with your gift, you will be given credit for the total amount. In order to complete the transaction, you must request the paperwork from your company's human resources department and send the form to SMU with your gift. We then complete our portion and return it to your company.
If you don’t know if your company matches charitable donations, search our matching gifts database to find out.
8. How can I make a gift?
There are several ways for you to make your gift to SMU:
- Make a credit card gift online now. Our online gift form is the easiest and quickest way to make your contribution! We currently accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
- You can make a gift by simply writing a check payable to "SMU” and sending it to:
SMU Gift Administration
PO Box 223927
Dallas, TX 75222-9972 - You may also call SMU’s Office of Annual Giving at (800) 768-9996.
Call 800-768-9996 to make a gift by phone or to ask a question about making a gift to SMU.
