Class Gift Shifts to Donating Dollars

Posted on Aug. 10, 2006

This year, seniors will be encouraged to choose as their class gift something a little less tangible.

Rather than giving to a physical gift to the University, seniors will be able to select an area of campus to support financially. There are more than 7,000 designated programs to which students can donate money.

The Office of University Development, which co-sponsors the class gift, and the senior class officers hope seniors will take more interest in the newly enhanced Senior Campaign than have students in previous years. Participation in the gift-selection process and support for the final choice have declined from year to year; leaders hope that offering more options will reverse this trend.

“Not only will this give the students the freedom to choose to give money to an area of campus that they really love, but it creates a potential beginning for annual philanthropy between the students and the University,” said Meg Petersen, president of the class of 2007.

Even though each senior will have a choice as to where some of the money will go, class officers also want to adopt a designated program specifically for the class of 2007. Much like the traditional physical gift, this designated area would be chosen by a class vote and would serve as the default beneficiary of unspecified donations.

“We are looking into getting a plaque to go up on campus at the end of the year to list how much money we raised and our participation rate – something with our name on it that will make the class proud,” Petersen said.

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Related coverage is available online:

• Pet Projects
  Feature about class gifts over UNC’s history, from the May/June 2001 issue of the Carolina Alumni Review, available online to Carolina Alumni members

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