Donor FAQs

Yes! Every donation, no matter what size, makes a difference. Yale’s community of annual donors is critical to ensuring Yale’s tradition of excellence.

Giving to Yale makes a difference locally and around the world. Yale conducts life-changing research, while educating leaders who will solve the greatest challenges of today and tomorrow.

• Connect with your fellow alumni and grow your network with Cross Campus, Yale’s new social platform for its graduates, faculty, and staff. Create a profile today.
• Check out the Yale Alumni Association website for more information about Yale volunteer opportunities and events.
• Become a lifelong student by taking Yale courses online. There are now a number of Yale classes available online through the Open Yale Courses program.

Participation at any level is greatly appreciated; a gift of any size has an impact upon the daily lives of Yale students.

Yale alumni may be solicited for a number of Yale gifts. If a prospect says “I have already given,” they may be referring to something other than the Alumni Fund, including a capital (restricted) gift, a gift to a sports association, or class dues. The Alumni Fund is the simplest and most direct way to participate in class fundraising and support the Yale undergraduate experience. Alumni Fund gifts count toward the For Humanity campaign and the reunion class gift total. They are distinct from class dues, which support class activities through the Yale Alumni Association.

Yale College dues are gifts to your class, and help pay for the reunion, as well as benefits like class activities and communications. Alumni Fund gifts are gifts to Yale. They provide Yale with current use funds for its most immediate needs, as well as seed money for new initiatives. Both class dues and Alumni Fund gifts are tax-deductible.

For specific information on the endowment, please visit the Investment Office’s website to download the most recent Endowment Update.

• Distributions from the endowment only account for 35% of Yale’s operating budget.
• The majority of endowment funds are restricted for very specific purposes such as a particular professorship or program.
• Based on a 5% endowment payout, $100 in annual giving contributes the same amount to Yale’s budget as the typical distribution from $2,000 of capital in the endowment.
• Endowment funds support specific existing university needs, while the Alumni Fund provides funds necessary for emerging priorities and new projects and initiatives.

NHA is the acronym for Nathan Hale Associates, Yale’s program for recognizing and thanking leadership giving to the Alumni Fund. Donors of $1,000 or more qualify as leadership donors in Yale College and are therefore considered Nathan Hale Associates (NHA). All NHA donors receive special acknowledgements from the chairman or vice chairman of the fund and a token of appreciation in the fall. The NHA Scholarship naming opportunity is a benefit offered to NHA donors who contribute $10,000 or more to the Alumni Fund.

Yes. Many donors use the naming opportunity to honor or memorialize loved ones, favorite professors, mentors, or close friends.

NHA Scholarships are current use funds, which means your $10,000 gift to the Yale Alumni Fund (YAF) will go to work immediately in the current academic year. Because your entire gift is spent in the year it is given, payments may not be spread out over more than one fiscal year (July 1—June 30).

For gifts of $20,000 or more, additional scholarships may be named. For more information please contact Jocelyn Kane.

Yes. If you or your spouse works for a matching gift company, your company’s match may be applied to your gift.  Consult your HR department or use this online matching gifts lookup tool to find out if your company matches gifts.

Yale’s fiscal year is July 1–June 30. Gifts raised by June 30th are incorporated into the budget for the upcoming academic year.