Pawley Hall and Elliott Hall are recognizable features of OU’s campus, but where did they come from? These buildings are just two examples of campus landmarks made possible by alumni, community and corporate donations – even the Grizz itself was a gift. Gifts serve as a major source of funding for programs, buildings and scholarships at Oakland; in the 2012 fiscal year which ended on June 30, the university received $5.8 million in gifts – that’s about $1.5 million more than in the 2011 fiscal year.

The Division of Development, Alumni and Community Engagement is responsible for all incoming donations to OU and manages

events such as the OU Telefund, which alone brings in around $200,000 in university donations each year. This is only one of the

several avenues for university funding.

Donations are received through the several departments within the Division of Development, such as Planned Giving, Annual Giving, and Major Gifts.

Angie Schmucker, director of Planned Giving and interim director of Annual Giving, explained why this division is vital to the success of OU.

“Our overall mission is to build lifelong relationships between people and the university,” she said. “Some of those relationships end up as gifts.”

According to Erika Walker, director of Major Gifts, donors are usually connected to the university through alumni events, community fundraisers and on-on-one contact with long-time university patrons.

Schmucker said that most large donations, including last fall’s $21 million donation by Stephen Sharf, are planned years in advance with aid from members of the Division of Development.

“They usually don’t come out of nowhere,” she said.

On occasion, however, the department is caught off-guard by unexpected donors. According to Schmucker a recent sizeable donation landed on the office doorstep – literally.

“One day she (an anonymous donor) showed up and said, ‘hey I want to leave you in my estate,’” she said. “It usually does not happen that way.”

 

Where gifts go

Walker explained the many different ways donations can be distributed within the university.

“There are gifts of actual cash, or donors can do stocks or land,” Walker said.

Gifts are often made to fund specific projects, she explained, such as the $3.5 million that was designated by multimillionaire Stephan Sharf for the Steve Sharf Golf Clubhouse that opened last June.

Most recently donated was a $6.5 million gift from repeat donors Hugh and Nancy Elliott for the creation of the Elliott Carillon Tower, which is set to be completed in September 2014.

“Donors can also create endowments that go for specific purposes,” Walker said. “That can be for scholarships, research funds, supporting a faculty position, a building and more.”

According to Schmucker, endowments are a way of extending donations by treating them as investments and using part of the interest each year.  This way, a donation can be used over a longer period of time.

This kind of investment is vital for the university because they create “predictable revenue streams for the unit and the university,” Walker said.

Donors may wish to make general donations that go into what is called an “unrestricted fund” for a particular department or school within OU, she said. The gift would then be at the dean or department head’s discretion where the funds are allocated.

 

The Donor Bill of Rights

Schmucker said one of the department’s main objectives is to ensure that donations are designated according to the donor’s wishes. One of the ways this is achieved, she said, is by strictly following OU’s “Donor Bill of Rights.”

“We always adhere to the donor bill of rights,” she said. “If somebody wants to do something specific (with a donation) and we accept it, we have to do that.”

She also explained that if for any reason a donation cannot continue to meet the donor’s expectations – the specified university program closes, a law is changed, etc. – they department must get approval from the donor before using the funds for another purpose.

 

Why gifts matter

According to Schmucker, OU’s beginnings were rooted in philanthropy: founder Matilda Wilson donated the majority of campus property as well as her estate Meadow Brook Hall to OU.

Now, Schmucker said, a large portion of OU’s buildings, equipment and student scholarships exist because of donations.

“Donors want students’ lives to be different because theirs was,” she said.

Regardless of the size of the gift, Schmucker said her department is always excited to see interest in giving back.

According to Philip Snyder, Assistant Vice President of Development, anyone can get involved in university fundraising by spreading the goals and mission of the Oakland.

“Everyone can help build a culture of philanthropy that will make this University an ever greater place in the future,” he said.

Schmucker agreed.

“We want to see the mission and vision of the university coming alive,” Schmucker

 

Donor Bill of Rights

-To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

-To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

-To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.

-To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

-To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.

-To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

-To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

-To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

-To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

-To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.