FAQs about the Annual Fund

Why give to the Annual Fund every year?
Your participation makes a difference. With your gift, Allegheny can:

      • Enhance academic programs
      • Provide financial aid and scholarships
      • Expand library collections
      • Furnish athletic equipment
      • Purchase laboratory supplies
      • Support student organizations
      • Improve technology
      • And much more

In addition:

  • Alumni giving participation is one of the factors analyzed by U.S. News & World Report and other entities when determining a college’s ranking.
  • Alumni gifts helped support your education when you were a student; this is your opportunity to help provide an outstanding Allegheny education for today’s students.
  • When considering large gifts, corporations, foundations, and other philanthropists often examine our alumni participation rate as a way to gauge the strength of the College. A high alumni participation rate is evidence of a strong institution.
  • An Allegheny degree is for life. More alumni involvement leads to stronger support and greater visibility for the College – which, in turn, strengthens the value of your Allegheny degree.



Can I designate my Annual Fund gift to a specific area to receive my support?
Yes! Choose scholarships, sustainability, athletics, DEI initiatives, or academic support, or even designate your gift for a specific department or program. Simply indicate how you would like your gift to be allocated when you make your contribution.

How can I make a gift?
There are many ways to make a gift to Allegheny. Each offers distinct benefits to you and the College. Use our secure website to make your gift online, or learn about a variety of other ways to give.

My employer offers a matching gift program. Should I participate?
Absolutely! More than $125,000 in gifts is donated to the College each fiscal year through matching gift programs. Many companies will double or even triple the value of charitable gifts that employees and their spouses/partners, board members, and retirees make. To determine if your employer has a matching gift program, use our searchable database.

I can't afford a large gift. Is there any point to me giving?
Large gifts are absolutely essential to Allegheny’s success; however, we cannot emphasize enough that every gift is important, no matter the size. When considering making large gifts worth millions of dollars of support to the College, corporations, foundations, and other philanthropists often request our alumni participation rate and use it to gauge the quality and strength of the College. Your annual donation shows the world that you believe in Allegheny and that it is worth your investment.

Additionally, bond rating agencies factor in alumni participation when determining the interest rate Allegheny will pay when it borrows money. Your participation, through giving a gift of any size to the College, is critical in helping the College save money.

Last year, more than 60 percent of the gifts Allegheny received were $100 or less. Nearly 1,000 alumni gave gifts of $25 or less, making a significant impact on the alumni participation rate. Every gift matters.


Is my gift to Allegheny tax-deductible?
Yes! Any gift to the College, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We will send a gift receipt to you so that you have documentation for your records.

Can I make my gift in honor or in memory of someone?
Yes. Gifts may be made in honor or in memory of someone (e.g., a former professor, family member, friend, student, or colleague). Simply enclose a note with your gift letting us know that you are making a gift in name of, in honor of, or in memory of someone else.  If you choose to give a gift online, the online giving form has a place for you to include this information. You will receive a commemorative letter, and an acknowledgement also will be sent to the individual you are honoring. Family members will be notified when a gift is made in memory of their loved one.

How often and when will the Annual Fund contact me asking for support?
Allegheny’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. In addition to direct mail appeals, Allegheny has special giving days on GivingTuesday (which occurs each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) and Gator Give Day (which occurs in late April).

I made a gift in June, but in October, you asked me to make another gift. I thought this was an annual giving program. Can you please explain?
The fund-raising schedule for the Annual Fund coincides with Allegheny’s fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. The gift you made in June counted toward the previous fiscal year. Gifts made after June 30 count toward the next fiscal year, which is why you were contacted again in October.

It seems like Allegheny already has a lot of money. Will my gift make a difference?
Yes! The College would need an additional $56 million in our endowment to equal the amount of money that comes from gifts to the Annual Fund. In addition, every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference. In fact:

      • Alumni giving participation is one of the factors analyzed by U.S. News & World Report and other entities when determining a college’s ranking.
      • When considering large gifts, corporations, foundations, and other philanthropists often examine our alumni participation rate as a way to gauge the strength of the College.
      • More alumni involvement leads to stronger support and greater visibility for the College – which, in turn, strengthens the value of your Allegheny degree.