Office of Donor Relations

There are many ways to give to SMU! SMU can receive gifts via our website, phone, mail, or wire. For information on these and other ways to give, please click HERE. If these options do not meet your needs or you need additional help, please contact gifts@smu.edu.

Gifts in memory, honor, or celebration are collectively referred to as “Tribute Gifts.” For more information on making tribute gifts, please visit the Donor Relations tribute page HERE.

In September 2021, the University embarked on our next big step through SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow –our multiyear, $1.5 billion campaign to propel us in our mission to empower students, enrich teaching and research, and enhance our campus and community. Click HERE to learn more about the priorities of SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow.

To learn more about endowments at SMU or for assistance understanding your endowment report, please contact Donor Relations or visit Endowment FAQs HERE.

SMU has 3 public giving societies: the Hilltop Society, President’s Associates, and the Dallas Hall Society (for planned gift donors). For more information, click HERE.

The Office of Donor Relations and Stewardship recognizes gifts that have a charitable component. Eligible gifts at various levels receive acknowledgment postcards, letters, or other specialized stewardship.

Skybox leases and the base Mustang Athletic Fund have Fair Market Value (FMV) and may not be considered charitable contributions. Donors who make payments to these will be sent a receipt with any Fair Market Value of the goods they have received in exchange for the payment deducted from their charitable amount.

Eligible gifts made through Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) receive acknowledgments but are receipted directly to the DAF administrator and not the donor themselves. SMU is not able to provide receipts to donors who give through DAFs.

All other contributions to SMU, including those above that have FMV, are receipted by the Office of Gift Processing. To contact Gift Processing to make a gift, ask for a new receipt, or more, please email gifts@smu.edu or contact Donor Relations.

Under the direction of the Southern Methodist University Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees, the Investments Office manages the $2 billion endowment, including minerals and other Planned Giving Assets of the University.

The current policy has been in effect since the fiscal year 2005 and is based on a model used by Yale University. The spending formula includes both an inflation component that places an emphasis on stable budget support and a market value component that responds to changes in portfolio valuations. The latter includes the current spending percentage of 4.5 percent, approved by the SMU Board of Trustees, applied to a four-quarter average of trailing market value.

SMU has three primary goals with regard to its spending policy: maintain the endowment’s real purchasing power, minimize the year-to-year volatility to aid in budget planning, and support the University’s educational goals by releasing a substantial and sustainable flow of funds to the operating budget.

SMU’s fiscal year is June 1 through May 31

Only 15% of the University’s operating budget is funded by income from the endowment.

Book Value is the initial amount of the gift that established an endowment, plus any additional gifts or deposits (reinvested income). Market Value is the total of the Book Value plus net market appreciation/depreciation valued at the end of a given time period.

Generally, new funds are established when a donor and the University enter into an endowment agreement. Occasionally, endowment funds are established through a bequest, annuity, or trust. Please contact the Office of Donor Relations and Stewardship for more information or if you are interested in establishing a new endowed fund. 

Most of SMU’s endowment is restricted and can only be used for specific purposes set forth by the donor(s).

Unrestricted gifts to SMU’s endowment have the greatest impact on the University.

Often, new donors will give to endowments previously established by others.  To find out which fund provides income for a desired purpose, please contact the Office of Donor Relations. Learn more.