Give to SMCM How do I make a gift?
There are several ways to make a gift to St. Mary's College of Maryland.
Online:
The easiest way to make your gift is to visit our secure online form. Using a credit card, you can make a gift to the fund of your choice. Under "designation," if you do not see the fund you want listed, please type the title of the fund in the box.Phone:
You may call the Development Office at 240-895-4286 or 800-458-8341 to make a gift.Mail:
You may mail a check or a pledge card to us at
St. Mary's College of Maryland Foundation
St. Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Rd.
St. Mary's City, MD 20686
Please make checks payable to "SMCM Foundation." Additionally, you may use the postage-paid envelope that is in each issue of The Mulberry Tree.
How do I make a gift of stock?
Please refer to our Giving Guide to learn the information needed for a stock gift.
Is my gift tax deductible?
Yes. Gifts to the St. Mary's College of Maryland Foundation are tax deductible as provided by law. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) functionally integrated Type 3 organization.
How to I give to a specific scholarship, athletic team, research fund, etc.?
Online -- On page two of the online gift form, you can select a designation already on the form, or write the name of a fund in the box next to "Other."
Mail -- On your check, please write the name of the scholarship, team, research fund, etc., in the "Memo" field.
How do I make a memorial gift or a gift in honor of someone for a special occasion?
You may make a gift online, by phone, or by mail. We ask that you please send a note letting us know who this gift is in memory of or in honor of and provide us with the address of appropriate individual who should be notified of your gift.
What are matching gifts? How do I find out if my company will match my gift to St. Mary's?
Double -- or even triple -- your gift to St. Mary's. Many companies will match dollar-for-dollar, and in some cases double or triple, charitable gifts made by their employees. In 2006, St. Mary's received over $40,000 in matching gift donations from companies offering matching gift programs.
The process for submitting a matching gift request differs from company to company. Contact your company's human resources officer or check their Web site to find out what your options are. Employer matching gifts do count toward your Giving Club listing in the Annual Report issue of The Mulberry Tree.
If you are using a paper matching gift form, please send it to us at:
Matching Gift Program
St. Mary's College of Maryland Foundation
18952 E. Fisher Rd.
St. Mary's City, MD 20686
What is the difference between a restricted and unrestricted gift?
An unrestricted gift is one that is given to the College without limitations for its use. The College uses unrestricted gifts to meet its greatest needs.
Restricted gifts are designated for a specific scholarship, department, program, or purpose. When you make a gift, you may specify where you want your donation to go - this is a restricted gift.
I can't afford to make a large gift; will my gift still make a difference?
Every tax-deductible gift makes a difference to St. Mary's. Your gift sends a powerful message that St. Mary's has made a difference in your life and show that you support this institution and its educational mission.
Some foundations and other grant-making organizations look at the number of gifts rather than total amounts when determining grant requests. Your gift, viewed as a vote of confidence, could help St. Mary's secure thousands of dollars in funding.
And each alumni gift boosts the College's alumni giving participation rate, an important factor in the college rankings for U.S. News & World Report and other publications.
Where is my gift needed most?
This is not an easy question to answer since all of your gifts directly benefit our students, but perhaps the fund that is the most far-reaching is the Annual Fund. As state funding continues to decline, the Annual Fund becomes necessary to meet the critical needs of St. Mary's.
What is the Annual Fund?
The Annual Fund is an unrestricted fund, which means that it is disbursed on a current-use basis to meet some of the College's most pressing needs. These needs include emergency financial aid, faculty research and professional development, and student St. Mary's Project expenses.
What is the Phonathon?
The Phonathon is held twice a year. Calls are made by St. Mary's students in the spring and fall to alums, parents, and friends asking for you to pledge your support to a particular fund; however, you may direct your gift to any fund and the student caller will make note of this on the pledge form.
What was The Heritage Campaign?
From the day of its public kickoff on April 26, 2003 to its official close on December 31, 2005, the Heritage Campaign was the largest, single comprehensive fundraising effort at St. Mary's College of Maryland. We exceeded our $40 million goal and the $40,429,241 raised represents contributions from over 8,000 alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, corporations, and foundations.
In the course of the Campaign, the following were established: 44 new scholarships and awards; eight new faculty chairs and professorships; four new signature programs in international studies in Oxford, Italy, China, and The Gambia; and the first center at the College - the Center for the Study of Democracy.
The Campaign allowed us to raise funds to increase the overall endowment and provide for additional student and academic programming and to preserve the legacy of St. Mary's for future generations of students.
How do I update my address/telephone/e-mail information?
You can help us save on our postage costs by sending any information updates - changes to name, address, telephone, and/or e-mail - to the Development Office at the above address or by e-mail to developmentoffice@smcm.edu.
If you are an alum and wish to receive the e-mail based SMCMail or need to sign up for an alumni e-mail account, please contact the Alumni Office at 240-895-4280, alumnioffice@smcm.edu or file your updated information online.
