As fiscal year ends, annual giving pushes for last donations

With the end of June upon us, the fiscal year of 2009 is coming to a close and with it the recording of gifts and pledges. While some schools may operate on a calendar year giving schedule, or even encourage giving with a campaign for a couple months, many use the fiscal year as a way of delegating benefits and counting their efforts throughout the year.

Coinciding with the end of the year is a push to get as much funds through the door before the end of the month. One way of doing this is to make sure that the act of giving is simplified. Michigan State has done an excellent job of this through a well timed press release and a system called DonorNet.

This system allows donors to login with a username and password and see all their recent giving history. It also enables them to give to the university through their own profile page. This significantly cuts down on the hassle of writing out a donation form or calling into the office. Instead donors can give right on their computers from anywhere they get the internet.

Many schools use DonorNet, including Creighton University, Texas Tech, and the Air Force Academy.