Good Giving | The Harvard Crimson

Good Giving | The Harvard Crimson: "Senior-gift programs in which soon-to-be alumni are encouraged to give back to their school are quite common. Often, however, these programs rely on peer-pressure tactics and stigmas to solicit further donations from students who have not yet donated—in addition to Dartmouth, Cornell earned well-deserved criticism for the extreme pressure placed on students to give a gift. Indeed, a forced gift at the end of one’s college career is not a constructive way to generate philanthropic trends in alumni. Students should give to their universities because they believe in supporting the causes their money will help, not because their names will otherwise be published on a blog and they will be harassed by their peers."

Dartmouth News - Dartmouth College seniors make record-breaking class gift - 06/05/08

Dartmouth News - Dartmouth College seniors make record-breaking class gift - 06/05/08: "Dartmouth seniors have a milestone to celebrate this week in addition to the end of exams and, with Commencement on Sunday, the culmination of their college careers. They attained the highest participation rate for class giving in recent memory, with 92.5 percent contributing to their Senior Class Gift. Fifteen coed, fraternity, and sorority organizations reached 100 percent participation."

Put your money where your heart is - Opinion

Put your money where your heart is - Opinion: "However, I was surprised to find that one thing hasn't changed - the senior gift.

While the idea of a financial campaign instead of a physical gift is still a little prickly to many, when my parents were in school, their class contribution was simply 'Funds to Carolina Annual Giving.'

Of course, I learned this from the Carolina First Web site - neither one of them could remember what the gift was, let alone if they donated any money to the cause.

After all, that donation wouldn't have been any different than the others they've given throughout the years. I prefer the idea of an endorsed fund - it focuses the gift to a timely cause and ties the class of 2008 to a lasting piece of Carolina."