Establishing A Scholarship Fund | Alumni Association of the University of Michigan                       

There are several key advantages to establishing a scholarship fund with OFA:

• Donations to a club fund are tax deductible within the limits allowed by law. Michigan residents also receive state tax credits for their gifts to the University. Furthermore, companies with matching gift programs recognize donations to the University.
• Donations to a club fund are promptly and conveniently processed and recorded by the University. By recording a donor's giving history, U-M is able to track the donor as a supporter of your fund. This allows the Association to more strategically request donors continue their support of your fund in the future and include them in its stewardship efforts (e.g., by inviting them to future stewardship events).
• Donors to a club fund receive official recognition and thanks for giving to the University and the Association. The University promptly gift receipts all individual donors to the club fund for tax purposes and the Association sends an acknowledgment thanking the donors. Donations to the club fund are also credited as gifts to U-M fundraising campaigns.
• The Association provides the president, treasurer, and scholarship chair of each club (or spirit group) with frequent reports of donors who have given to its scholarship fund(s), if any. Clubs and groups are encouraged to send their own personalized thank-you notes. Per University policy, the amount of each individual donation cannot be provided.
• U-M provides club leaders an annual report regarding each fund.
• Club endowment funds are invested in U-M's endowment portfolio, which performs in the top quartile in the country. See the 2016 U-M endowment profile for more information