comicbookguy wrote:
And to you guys sending in $100 donations.... man, let me tell you something YOU need that $100 waaaaaaaayyyy more than that school does. I guarantee you that paltry amount means N O T H I N G to them.
This is true. The goal of small gifts is really to build community by letting people feel involved. No one really cares about your $100, but letting people feel like they are a part of something builds brand loyalty.
Why do you need to feel involved?
john utah wrote:
Why do you need to feel involved?
Why are you asking me? I didn't say that I need to feel involved.
Today's universities are a cesspool of liberalism. I will not contribute to fund tranny bathrooms or have conservative speakers run off campus. I will donate to legitimate needy causes, not groups of rehabilitated Vietnam era hippies who got haircuts and now run U.S. universities. Let the snowflake students use their barrista tips to support their caccoon.
Jimbo60 wrote:
Today's universities are a cesspool of liberalism. I will not contribute to fund tranny bathrooms or have conservative speakers run off campus. I will donate to legitimate needy causes, not groups of rehabilitated Vietnam era hippies who got haircuts and now run U.S. universities. Let the snowflake students use their barrista tips to support their caccoon.
awesome
Jimbo60 wrote:
Today's universities are a cesspool of liberalism. I will not contribute to fund tranny bathrooms or have conservative speakers run off campus. I will donate to legitimate needy causes, not groups of rehabilitated Vietnam era hippies who got haircuts and now run U.S. universities. Let the snowflake students use their barrista tips to support their caccoon.
My reason for not giving them more money has nothing to do with the university politics, it's just that I see it as a business, not a charity. I'd no more consider sending money to my old school than I would send Coca Cola extra money for a 12 pack of soft drinks.
zohan wrote:
Jimbo60 wrote:Today's universities are a cesspool of liberalism. I will not contribute to fund tranny bathrooms or have conservative speakers run off campus. I will donate to legitimate needy causes, not groups of rehabilitated Vietnam era hippies who got haircuts and now run U.S. universities. Let the snowflake students use their barrista tips to support their caccoon.
My reason for not giving them more money has nothing to do with the university politics, it's just that I see it as a business, not a charity. I'd no more consider sending money to my old school than I would send Coca Cola extra money for a 12 pack of soft drinks.
there are many valid reasons not to give your hard earned money to academia
john utah wrote:
zohan wrote:My reason for not giving them more money has nothing to do with the university politics, it's just that I see it as a business, not a charity. I'd no more consider sending money to my old school than I would send Coca Cola extra money for a 12 pack of soft drinks.
there are many valid reasons not to give your hard earned money to academia
The only valid reason to give your hard earned money to academia is if they name a building after you. That is, if you are an egomaniac that needs buildings named after you.
I used to contribute quite a bit (at least for a recent grad) to my undergrad's annual fund. I even helped organize the funding drive for my class year a few times. My feeling was that I knew I didn't pay the full cost of my education, and I wanted to ensure that other people had access to something similar.
In recent years, however, gotten ambivalent about contributing. I'm inclined to stop this year. It has become increasingly obvious that "supporting higher education" just means supporting an explosion in cost. The more you give, the more schools will spend.
I'm also becoming less concerned with ensuring that everyone has access to the same experience I had. Looking back, I realize now that college was a freaking country club. Of course I loved it; I love lots of expensive luxuries. But it doesn't mean that we have a moral obligation to subsidize the consumption of luxury.
Benedict wrote:
Looking from another perspective, one of the ways universities are evaluated by US World News Report, etc. is % of alums who donate.
This is exactly one of the reasons college rankings should not be taken seriously. The inputs have nothing to do with the actual education.
I stopped contributing due to their ever expanding administrative bloat. Every year, they add another vice president of whatever, with a six figure salary. Then they built a student rec center that puts to shame any gym I could afford to join.
They're obviously doing just fine without my donation.
I question the idea of donating to something we're emotionally (or some other way) attached to. "I donate to X, because I like X" or "I donate to Y, because I went to Y". This shows nothing about the effectiveness of the organization.
There are a number of organizations out there that rate effective nonprofit organizations like Give Well. They attempt to find where your dollars will do the most good. To me, it doesn't make sense to donate to something just because I experienced it or am emotionally attached to it (donating to cancer research because my friend had cancer).
A helpful, and pretty short, book is "The Most Good You Can Do". It evaluates where you can provide the most benefits to this world. It does look at donating to universities and says that, while universities provide good services, at this point in time there are many organizations that will do a lot more good than what a university will provide with the money that you give.
As much as I look back fondly on my college years, I've never given a dime in donations. It's not just that I still have tens of thousands of dollars in debt. It's because I feel like I received a poor education. Very few of the people in my major went on to get jobs in their field. Many of the professors we had were not very good at their jobs, and I know those professors were making bank. If people wonder why colleges are hemorrhaging money, look at what they're paying their employees. It's outrageous. Yet they'll still complain they're underpaid.
800 dude wrote:
I used to contribute quite a bit (at least for a recent grad) to my undergrad's annual fund. I even helped organize the funding drive for my class year a few times. My feeling was that I knew I didn't pay the full cost of my education, and I wanted to ensure that other people had access to something similar.
In recent years, however, gotten ambivalent about contributing. I'm inclined to stop this year. It has become increasingly obvious that "supporting higher education" just means supporting an explosion in cost. The more you give, the more schools will spend.
I'm also becoming less concerned with ensuring that everyone has access to the same experience I had. Looking back, I realize now that college was a freaking country club. Of course I loved it; I love lots of expensive luxuries. But it doesn't mean that we have a moral obligation to subsidize the consumption of luxury.
This is a damn thoughtful and insightful post. Well done.
Spot on.
I wish more alumni would donate...even a little bit. I contribute about $500 year to my team's fund. I wish I could do more. I was a walk on and did not receive any scholarship $. I'm in my 40's and do ok. I understand if you're in your 20's and getting started. It's hard to think about let alone actually give any $ away for something like that.
I donate to mine but only to the business school. I haven't given to the athletic dept since they put convicted drug cheats in the hall of fame.
Paying Back wrote:
The tally thus far:
2 people who do the right thing.
2 incredibly cheap and selfish b--tards.
So you think it is better to give 1000 bucks to harvard so they can build a fancier campus or a 1000 bucks to the local food shelter? A is for people who want to see their name in a newsletter that people they know read. B is for people that care about making the world a better place. And remember money is fungible. That 100 bucks you dedicate to the track team just means the school can cut a 100 bucks from the track budget from general funds.
Schools are like any other charity. Everyone picks different ones. The ones you like, I might not. And giving to a top 25 endowment school is a heck of a lot different than giving to your local community college.
I do not believe anyone should look unfavorably upon those who do not contribute to their Alma Mater.
Speaking for myself, I worked hard before, during and after college to pay tuition. I saw it more or less as a business transaction. Sort of like buying apples at the local supermarket.
While I value the experience and education I received at college, my degree has yet to allow me to be in a situation where I can afford to contribute financially. I do contribute small amounts to other true non-profit organizations, and I volunteer, but contributing to my old school is not high on my priority list.
I have been out of school for 20 years, and continue to receive numerous requests from them each year asking for donations. The amount of what I consider junk mail I receive from my old school is staggering. I have requested to be removed from their mailing list repeatedly, but I continue to get mail from them. I view these letters as a waste of their time, paper, resources and energy. Their inability to cease sending me these letters makes me less and less likely to contribute anything to them in the future.
I would not give any university a dime today due to the ideas they promote.
I went to an NAIA school many years ago, and had Academic and Track Scholarships that paid about 3/4 of my tuition. I ran through injuries my junior year, and was about ready to take the season off, but I was promised a full ride so to speak for my senior year if I finished out my junior year. Senior year comes and we get a new coach AND a new AD who both basically said, "Sorry...that was the old guys' agreement. We aren't going to honor that." I still suffer the after effects of those injuries 35 years later. Needless to say, they never have gotten a dime from me...yet they still ask.