Frequently Asked Questions
What is an annual gift?
What is a major gift?
What is a planned gift?
What is the "alumni giving participation rate" and why is it so important?
How does my annual gift affect collegiate rankings?
What is the Carnegie Mellon Fund?
How does the endowment support the university?
How do donors benefit from the endowment?
How will I know my gift is doing what I intended it to do?
How does my gift affect the admission process for my son or daughter?
Why is a member of the University Advancement staff contacting me and what can I expect from a meeting?
What is the difference between unrestricted giving and restricted giving?
How do I advance my bequest intention now?
How do I give appreciated stocks and securities?
Is my gift tax deductible?
What is an annual gift?
An annual gift is a gift to Carnegie Mellon that occurs each year.
Be it large or small, each annual gift is critical to the success of the university’s programs and has a direct impact on the student experience each and every day. Commonly, annual gifts are made to the Annual Fund, or Carnegie Mellon Fund, in which case they go to the university’s most pressing needs.
However, annual gifts can also be designated to a specific purpose, such as scholarships, fellowships, or a college or program within the university. However you decide to make your annual gift, Carnegie Mellon appreciates it greatly.
What is a major gift?
At Carnegie Mellon, a major gift is any gift to the university that exceeds $25,000.
Major gifts can be designated to scholarships, fellowships, or a college or program within the university. They can also be left as unrestricted so that the university can direct the funds wherever they will be most effective.
Major gifts often take the form of cash or securities, and they can be paid over time. To learn more about making a major gift, please contact a member of the Development staff.
What is a planned gift?
A popular way that many alumni choose to make a commitment to Carnegie Mellon during their lifetime is through a planned gift, or life income trust. This “split-interest” gift allows a donor to retain an income for life or a set period of years, while irrevocably donating an asset such as cash, appreciated stock or real estate.
A second option that many alumni choose is a planned gift through their estate plan. Individuals who wish to keep their assets during their lifetime often decide to link themselves with the life of the university in perpetuity by making a charitable bequest. These gifts may come in the form of cash, appreciated stock, mutual funds, pension plans, IRAs or real estate.
The planned giving staff is available to assist you and your advisors, with no obligation. Please visit the Planned Giving website or call Jane Rae Bradford at (412) 268-1948 or janeb2@andrew.cmu.edu for more information about becoming a part of Carnegie Mellon’s future.
What is the alumni giving participation rate and why is it so important?
The alumni giving participation rate is the percentage of alumni who make a charitable gift – of any size – to their alma mater during a given year. It is so important because it is one of the variables factored into the collegiate rankings produced by U.S. News & World Report and other publications.
A higher alumni giving participation rate can help Carnegie Mellon move up in the rankings. When the university is ranked more highly, each degree holds even greater value and prestige.
At Carnegie Mellon, the alumni giving participation rate has ranged between 22-25 percent during the last five years. Some peer institutions have experienced alumni giving participation rates as high as 47 percent, so it is vitally important that Carnegie Mellon's alumni community support the university every year.
How does my annual gift affect collegiate rankings?
Each gift from Carnegie Mellon alumni, no matter the size of the gift, counts equally in helping to increase the university’s alumni giving participation rate, an important factor in the collegiate rankings produced by U.S. News & World Report and other publications.
A higher alumni giving participation rate can help Carnegie Mellon move up in the rankings. When the university is ranked more highly, each degree holds even greater value and prestige.
What is the Carnegie Mellon Fund?
The Carnegie Mellon Fund is another name for the Annual Fund. In either case, it is a fund for unrestricted giving.
Donors who contribute to this fund are providing valuable resources that Carnegie Mellon earmarks for the university’s greatest needs. The funds are spent in their entirety each year.
How does the endowment support the university?
Generally speaking, the strongest and most stable institutions have strong endowments. A strong endowment allows Carnegie Mellon faculty and administrators to pursue critical initiatives that enhance our ability to be a leader in higher education and research. In addition to providing stability for the future, endowment gifts help the university attract and retain top faculty and students.
Benefits to a faculty member who holds an endowed professorship—a faculty appointment supported by the investment return of an endowment gift—include opportunities for enhanced teaching and research, as well as increased prestige.
Students benefit from scholarships, fellowships and excellent teaching, programs and research initiatives that endowment support helps make possible. Through endowment resources, activities can be supported that might not otherwise have had a chance to exist.
How do donors benefit from the endowment?
Alumni, parents and friends of Carnegie Mellon who make endowment gifts help to ensure that the institution, or a particular program or activity, will exist in perpetuity.
Many of these donors have associated their names with gifts to Carnegie Mellon’s endowment and receive recognition inside and outside the university community for their gifts. Behind each endowment gift is a personal motivation—to repay a debt of gratitude for the donor's own education, to honor a loved one, or to make a positive impact on society.
How will I know my gift is doing what I intended it to do?
You, the donor, designate how the university spends your gift.
By making a gift to the Annual Fund, your contribution can be used where it is needed most, or you may direct your gift to a specific college, program or activity of interest to you. Either way, be assured that your contribution will be allocated in the way you have chosen.
Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator, has recognized Carnegie Mellon for the fifth consecutive year with its highest four-star rating for fiscal responsibility.
How does my gift affect the admission process for my son or daughter?
Giving does not affect or influence the outcome of a candidate's application for admission. Although giving is a critical component to Carnegie Mellon's success, its renowned academic and research reputation rests upon our ability to attract, select and enroll students who are determined to be the brightest and strongest candidates.
Why is a member of the University Advancement staff contacting me and what can I expect from a meeting?
As a part of the university’s outreach efforts, members of the University Advancement staff visit with members of the Carnegie Mellon community around the world. The purpose of these visits is to personally thank you for your support and interest in Carnegie Mellon’s mission. It is also important to hear your perspectives on Carnegie Mellon and discuss opportunities for you to stay connected through alumni activities, philanthropy, and business partnerships (i.e. internships, recruiting, and mentoring students).
Out of respect for your time, a typical visit will last 30-45 minutes. Our staff wants to hear about your experiences at Carnegie Mellon, your perspectives on the university and your career successes. We also wish to learn about your philanthropic priorities and motivations for giving.
University Advancement staff members are happy to provide updates about your areas of interest at Carnegie Mellon as well as some of the innovative projects that impact the lives of you and millions of others around the world today. You might be surprised at what you learn.
What is the difference between unrestricted and restricted giving?
Unrestricted gifts are those that the university may designate to its areas of greatest need. Most commonly, this is done by giving to the Annual Fund.
Restricted gifts, on the other hand, are those gifts that the donor earmarks for a specific purpose: scholarships, fellowships, a college or program within the university, etc. These gifts can only be used in the manner for which the donor designates.
Both types of gifts are extremely valuable to Carnegie Mellon. If you are unsure of the type of gift that makes the most sense for you, please contact a member of the Development staff.
How do I advance my bequest intention now?
Some alumni choose to “advance their bequest.” In other words, after putting Carnegie Mellon in their estate plans, they discover that they are in a position to donate the asset now. Advancing a bequest allows the donor to either make an outright gift to the university, or use it to make a planned gift that provides income during the donor’s lifetime.
In either case, the planned giving staff is available to assist you and your advisors, with no obligation. Please visit the Planned Giving website or call Jane Rae Bradford at (412) 268-1948 or janeb2@andrew.cmu.edu for more information about becoming a part of Carnegie Mellon’s future.
How do I give appreciated stocks and securities?
Gifts of appreciated stocks and securities can be made by following the instructions on the “Making a Stock Gift” form (PDF document). Any questions should be directed to Sharon King at (412) 268-2027 or sk2q@andrew.cmu.edu.
Is my gift tax deductible?
Absolutely. You will receive a receipt for every gift you make to Carnegie Mellon.
For more information on the tax benefits of making a gift to Carnegie Mellon, please contact a member of the Development staff.
