Giving - Frequently Asked Questions

Alumni participation is used as an indicator of alumni satisfaction by foundations and some college guidebooks. Alumni who participate at any level help Harding's standing for student recruitment and fundraising.

Harding is rated each year by organizations such as Peterson's and U.S. News and World Reports. Alumni giving percentages are noted and factored into the ranking process.

Perhaps the most critical reason for a high participation rate among alumni is that major foundations consider the willingness of a university's alumni to support a campaign as a primary key in grant making. These foundations state that they seek to help those institutions that help themselves through the support of grateful alumni, parents and friends.

The four broad areas of giving are unrestricted, restricted, capital and endowment gifts. Unrestricted gifts are always encouraged because they have the largest impact on the most students. At Harding, we call unrestricted gifts the “Harding Fund,” as they help provide scholarships to need-based students. Restricted gifts are typically scholarships set up for students according to a set of criteria established by the donor. In other words, the donor restricts these funds according to their desires. Capital gifts relate to building and construction projects on campus. Endowment gifts are for the ongoing support of the University. The principal is kept intact while the investment earnings are used as current gifts. These are typically the result of estate planning.

Unrestricted gifts support many academic needs. These change from year to year as the needs of the University and its schools change or opportunities emerge. These needs are basic to the operation of an institution of higher education and include primarily scholarships, but also faculty enrichment, program development, library acquisitions, administrative expenses, new equipment and improvements in facilities and grounds.

Many companies encourage their employees to contribute to their alma mater by matching their gifts. If your company has a matching gift program, help us take advantage of this opportunity by obtaining the form needed from the personnel office of your company. Please complete the form and return it to us with your gift record. It will count toward the level for recognition in the Donor Program.

The Harding University Annual Fund has been approved by the Internal Revenue Service as fully qualified to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions solely in support of Harding University.

Our fiscal year runs from July 1 - June 30. This may cause some confusion for donors as the tax year follows the regular calendar. New federal accounting standards require that we close our financial year exactly on June 30. Pledge payments of gifts received in July cannot be counted to the fiscal year which had just ended.

Yes, but your gift might not count towards the Harding Fund. If you would like to restrict your gift to a specific purpose, you can make a note of it on the check or include a short note with your gift or pledge payment.

Also, certain corporations limit matching program funds if gifts are restricted. Please check with your company for any matching gift conditions before assigning restrictions to your gifts to Harding.