Donors

More than anything, the University of Saint Francis is built upon its people – remarkable students, alumni, faculty, administrators, family, and friends — each bringing their own experience to a community characterized by a commitment to care for, encourage, and support each other.

This sense of “family” is evident the moment you step on campus; it is carried forward into the broader community where it flourishes, delivered by each individual touched by USF. And it is from this perspective that our generous donors are motivated to give.

We thank our many donors — Alumni, Friends, Parents & Families, and Employees for their continued generosity — and pledge to honor your commitment.

Alumni Donors

University of Saint Francis alumni know how to think critically, engage passionately, communicate clearly, and live with integrity. Alumni are vibrant illustrations of the depth and breadth of what USF offers students, proving by their own pursuits and accomplishments that dreams can indeed be achieved.

As alumni, you join more than 19,000 graduates from the University of Saint Francis, Saint Francis College, Lutheran School of Health Sciences, and St. Joseph College of Nursing. As a member of this prestigious group, we hope you’ll connect, re-connect, and stay connected.

Whether you met your spouse in a corner of Brookside while studying for a Biology exam or began a life of service and leadership on your first mission trip, your life was influenced by your time at USF.

Our graduates are vital to the advancement of USF’s mission of education. Through alumni events, class reunions, and by giving back, you inspire, lead, and support USF — now and into perpetuity. There’s no better feeling.

Friends

Partnerships with the local community, volunteers, foundations, and business leaders all effectively elevate the programs and initiatives of our campus community and the northwest Indiana region.

Your commitment makes you a core member! Whether you support USF athletics as a member of the Cougar Club, golf in the Cougar Classic, attend a production or exhibit presented at the School of Creative Arts, volunteer as a student mentor, or serve as a guest speaker, you are an integral part of what we do. You allow USF to carry out its mission, giving each graduate the tools and experience fundamental to success, enhancing their ability to impact lives, locally and globally.

Parents & Families

From convocation to commencement, you have cheered your student on, beaming with pride from the moment you took that first campus tour through the hugs and cheers as degrees were presented. We celebrate your student’s achievements and remain dedicated to his or her success throughout their journey.

To support your student’s continued accomplishment, our Career Outreach Center works hard to provide relevant and cutting-edge internships, resume and portfolio assistance, mock interviews with business leaders, and placement services post-graduation. USF is invested not only in your student, but also the success of your family. We couldn’t provide any of these services without the support of the parents and families who make up our vibrant and faithful Cougar community.

Employees

As a staff or faculty member, your gift has twice the impact. Not only are you skillfully sharing your time and talent with our students, but every dollar you give supports students and a wide range of programs. Every gift underscores your belief in our shared mission of education — and the fact that you have taken the step to personally invest in it speaks volumes.

Beyond that, your gift continues to give back to the local community. More than 70% of our graduates remain in the Fort Wayne area, so your investment stays here, close to home and near neighbors. Investing in USF means investing in the people of Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana.

Our Donor Promise

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life.

To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

• To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
• To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
• To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
• To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
• To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
• To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
• To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
• To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
• To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
• To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

The text of this statement in its entirety was developed by the American Association of Fund- Raising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and adopted by USF in November 1993.