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[physicalchemist]

I'm completely conflicted about whether I should donate to my college's annual fund.  I've never donated in 16 years of teaching for several reasons:

- I already give my heart and soul (far in excees of 60 hours per week) to the school in time and energy spent working with students.

- I have a large list of charitable contributions that I already support.

- The administration (president) has made decisions recently that border on violations of academic freedom for one of my colleagues.  The issue is currently with AAUP.

- I love my students and colleagues, and I am more or less aligned with the school's mission, but I disagree with many administrative priorities and choices, especially related to financial choices and just distribution of compensation.  For example, our custodians and non-senior staff make barely above the poverty line, while our senior staff have received enormous raises over the past several years. The top five senior staff recieve collectively $750K per year.  The football coach alone receives $170K.  My salary as a faculty member is comfortable at $60K, but I am struggling to keep my 401K with TIAA-CREF going.  I certainly won't be able to retire before age 70 unless the school raises compensation.

- As a faculty member, I am told by the administration that If the giving rate among faculty and staff is very high (90%), the school will have an easier time getting external grants.  Is there actual empirical evidence for this?  Even if true, wouldn't it be a clear statement to the school if faculty openly refused to donate money to the institution until compensation were more just?

Even though it is apparent that I am frustrated, I am actually considering donating this year because I love the students and my colleagues and there is a particular endowment that honors a former colleague. 

I'm just struggling with the whole idea of donating and would welcome a vigorous discussion of the issue by those opposed to faculty donations and those in favor.

[hegemony]

Why would you want to?  I don't donate for all the reasons you've mentioned, plus I am already underpaid by about $20,000 under the average; why would I want to make myself more underpaid?  If you want to serve the university, you can always volunteer for some more service.  That's something that outside donors can't contribute, and there's always plenty more to do. 

[leontrout]

I am relatively new on my campus, so I will relay what a colleague has told me.

She has attempted to give several times, but on her conditions (e.g., that her donation go to bringing in speakers or otherwise be returned). The college would not guarantee that her money would be spent in the way she chose, so she took her $1000+ elsewhere.

Another bought several hundred dollars worth of paint for the offices of a program he ran. (He could get a better deal than the business office could--he has a buddy in the home supply business or something.) When he presented his receipt, he was told that his donation would not be counted as a monetary contribution but rather as "Ten cans of paint." When he asked why, he was treated rudely.

Rudeness seems to be the way of this school's Advancement Office. The chief fundraiser is not interested in small donations (i.e., the kind most faculty can afford) and regularly insults junior faculty who, while doing the best they can, cannot compete with the millionaire alum who gave 50 grand to sponsor the fifty yard line in the stadium.

[svenc]

Your gripes are with administration, and not with your students.  It sounds like you want to contribute, and many of your concerns would be addressed by making a donation that was restricted to student financial support (or some other similarly narrow fund), rather than to general operating funds.  

The places I have worked definitely accommodate earmarked donations.  Leontrout's post above is evidence that my experience is not universal, however.

[canadatourismguy]

If you want to donate - give it specifically to a student group you believe in.  In our department every faculty member provides food for one of our student group's meetings per term.  It is totally voluntary and costs about $50 (at least for me) and the students appreciate it greatly.

[onion]

I do not contribute to my University.  My former uni hit up faculty for donations, as did my grad school (when I was teaching my own course while still enrolled as a student).  Much like Hegemony, I feel I am already underpaid, and I'm not contributing to the ridiculous building fund or floating funds that go who-knows-where.  I have considered one-time donations to scholarships in honor of former colleagues, but I haven't given.  However, I do donate to my undergrad alma mater--both to the department and the library.  Ain't that what alumni are for?

[clean]

I give.
I agree with all that the OP said, but I give. 
I was rather instrumental in creating an endowment for student scholarships in the name of one of my deceased coworkers.  I give $20 a month to that account, and it is matched dollar for dollar by the office of Community Outreach.  That money goes to student scholarships.

I give another $10 a month to the college.  The dean has been very good about funding things and I figure that I get every dollar of that back and more.

As far as the administration is concerned, it is not the amount, it is that you are giving.  Our minimum donations (to meet the counts) are a one time gift of $5 or a $2 a month contribution. 

"To hell with administration, and I give enough of my soul now" is the OPs message.  Fine, but donations to scholarships help students, not administrators.  Getting the percentage up so that you can get more grants is worth $2 a month or a one time $5 contribution, isnt it?

For perspective, I am eating part of my lunch now.  A large sub at Quiznos is over $7.  Can you not give part of a sandwich once a year to your university so that they may qualify for more grant money that may, one way or another, help you or a coworker?

My advice is to give the minimum and designate it to a scholarship fund.

For what its worth.

[stitch]

Another bought several hundred dollars worth of paint for the offices of a program he ran. (He could get a better deal than the business office could--he has a buddy in the home supply business or something.) When he presented his receipt, he was told that his donation would not be counted as a monetary contribution but rather as "Ten cans of paint." When he asked why, he was treated rudely.

I won't speak to the rudeness, but the donation in kind ruling is appropriate.  It's an IRS rule.  He didn't give cash, he gave and "in kind" donation of paint.  They should give him a receipt thanking him for the donation of paint.  He then attaches his receipt to the letter, providing himself with support for the value he will assign his in kind donation on his tax return.  In kind donations are just as deductible as cash ones, they just require different documentation.

[marfa]

With a mandatory furlough (i.e., pay cut), I believe I've done my donating.

[svenc]

Ack.  The OP posted the same thing in two places.  I'm just posting here to put both threads on my radar screen.

[clean]

OP (in bad form) posted in 2 places. 

I give.
I agree with all that the OP said, but I give.
I was rather instrumental in creating an endowment for student scholarships in the name of one of my deceased coworkers.  I give $20 a month to that account, and it is matched dollar for dollar by the office of Community Outreach.  That money goes to student scholarships.

I give another $10 a month to the college.  The dean has been very good about funding things and I figure that I get every dollar of that back and more.

As far as the administration is concerned, it is not the amount, it is that you are giving.  Our minimum donations (to meet the counts) are a one time gift of $5 or a $2 a month contribution.

"To hell with administration, and I give enough of my soul now" is the OPs message.  Fine, but donations to scholarships help students, not administrators.  Getting the percentage up so that you can get more grants is worth $2 a month or a one time $5 contribution, isnt it?

For perspective, I am eating part of my lunch now.  A large sub at Quiznos is over $7.  Can you not give part of a sandwich once a year to your university so that they may qualify for more grant money that may, one way or another, help you or a coworker?

My advice is to give the minimum and designate it to a scholarship fund.

For what its worth.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

I donate, but to earmarked funds (our library, the student radio station, and my department also has a fund).  There are several situations where a high faculty participation rate is a useful datum to have. - DvF

[kedves]

I make a very small monthly gift because it goes to our department's fund for funeral flowers, among other things I support our doing collectively. 

[bana_bana]

I hate those letters asking for money. I don't give b/c I am already giving enough. I don't feel sorry for not giving either. I prefer giving to children's hospital or something like that.

[sibyl]

The title of the thread is a general one - should ALL or ANY faculty donate to their schools - but the question is really should THIS faculty member donate to THIS school.  I am not going to tell anyone that they are donating too much or too little to the right or wrong cause.  If you would rather give to cancer research, or to arts programs for elementary school kids, or your religious community, or scholarships for your home town rather than your college, it's all good.  You get to decide where your money goes.

But I won't let that stop me from telling you how I think you should make up your mind.  ;)

I think faculty have more power to affect the operations of their institution as faculty than as donors.  If you don't like the practices of senior staff, work through faculty governance structures to get them changed.  Most top administrators are impervious to "I-won't-donate" threats when relatively small gifts (less than $500K) are involved.

That said, if you want to say to the president, "This is wrong, I will work against it in faculty senate, and by the way I also won't donate," go ahead.

Yes, there really are some grants that can be secured if the institution has a high donor rate.  But not that many.  And if that is your driving purpose for making a gift, then donate $1.  Even incompetent administrations can't do much damage with $1, and the donor rate still goes up.

The endowment for the colleague presents an unusual circumstance.  My first question is, did the colleague ask to be honored in this way, or will the endowment be used in a particular way that the colleague would approve (let's say a new concert hall to be named for a long-time music professor, or a fund to support students from the colleague's homeland)?  If so, then I might be moved to contribute as a one-time thing.  If, however, the college is simply trying to milk the passing of a beloved colleague, then you might be less inclined to do so.

(I understand the impulse to give for a particular purpose, and if the college offers the opportunity to contribute to something specific that you like, take advantage.  However, specific contributions can tie the institution in perpetuity in ways that may not be helpful.  Suppose that in 1849 someone endowed a fund to support the College Whigs?  The college has no legal authority to change the use of the bequest and so it can't use it for pressing needs.)