There are a number of ways you can help WMU and the student experience, and making a gift is one of them. Together we can ensure that our current and future Broncos will never go at it alone, and with your help, we know they'll be unstoppable.
Giving impacts every student and every area of campus. It helps provide the experiences, curriculum, and learning environments that our students need to graduate, get jobs they love, and make a difference in their communities. Among the numerous reasons why Broncos give to WMU, here are our Top Ten.
Tuition and State Funds Don’t Cut It
Only about 26% of WMU’s operating budget comes from the state, down from 70% in 1979, meaning the fiscal responsibility to obtain a degree has shifted dramatically to students and their families. Alumni and donor giving helps keep the doors to public higher education open to hard-working, sometimes low-income students. Funding secures top tier technology and exceptional faculty, in addition to financial support for students, which is key to educating the next generation.
Investing in Students is an Investment in the Future
Students at WMU are working their way toward becoming the next generation of health care providers, teachers, engineers, business professionals, artists, and more. Giving helps provide educational and professional opportunities that help students excel, such as scholarships, internships, study abroad programs, research positions, technology, and more. These opportunities help Broncos make an impact wherever they are in the world.
Make Higher Education Attainable for Every Student
WMU is home to many students who may otherwise not be able to go to college. From first-generation students, to students exiting the foster care system, to undocumented young adults, scholarship support makes a degree possible for many of our students. A gift to WMU helps students of all backgrounds access higher education.
Support What You’re Passionate About
WMU offers 265 programs, ranging from Accountancy to Occupational Therapy, Art Education to Sports Management, which means you can support advancements in whatever field you’re passionate about. There are more than 2,000 programs and places across campus where you can designate your gift. Find your Fun(d)!
WMU is Good for the Economy
At $1.6 billion, WMU’s economic impact is greater than Michigan’s entire $1.4 billion budget line for all state universities. And for every one of the $104 million the state invests in WMU, the University returns $15.40 in economic vitality to the Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren county region. In addition, students contribute 235,000 hours to volunteer service and other off-campus community engagement activities each year. (Fiscal Year 2016-17)
Elevate the Value of a WMU Degree
Alumni giving is a key factor when publications such as U.S. News & World Report calculate national rankings for higher education institutions. When WMU alumni give back to WMU, it helps increase our rank and reputation, thereby elevating the value of a WMU degree on a regional and national level.
You Can Double or Triple Your Impact
Many employers offer gift matching programs, which means you can double, sometimes triple, the amount of your gift. Check with your human resources department to see if your employer matches philanthropic donations and learn more here.
You Can Help Build on Our Success
Private support from donors, and more importantly, alumni donors, is considered an indication of success. Aside from publications that rank colleges and universities based on alumni giving rates, private donations are also a signal to corporations and foundations that award grants and other large gifts. When our alumni and friends give back to WMU, they are telling the world we are worthy of community support.
It’s Easy
Because rankings can be influenced by the percentage of alumni who give back, not how much they give, a gift in any amount can be a game-changer for our University. Simply visit WMUalumni.org/Give to make your gift and we’ll send you a receipt for your 100% tax-deductible gift.
It’s Tradition!
Philanthropy is an important piece of the puzzle for all institutions of higher education and can be traced back hundreds of years. Education is vital for a society to succeed, which is why today, more than ever, we need our alumni and friends to help us close the gap so that any student who wishes to advance their life, career, and/or community, has the opportunity to do so at WMU.
Still want to learn more about why alumni give back? Check out our Giving Impact stories here.