Office of Donor Relations
Our Two Favorite Words Are Thank You.
About the Office of Donor Relations & Stewardship
We believe in the power of gratitude. We foster deeper relationships by demonstrating appreciation for the difference our donors make every single day.
Our goal is to proactively and intentionally remind our donors, big and small, that they are essential to the SMU family. Our donors can count on us for timely acknowledgments, accurate reporting, and appropriate recognition.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many ways to give to SMU! SMU can receive gifts via our website, phone, mail, or wire. For information on these and other ways to give please click HERE. If these options do not meet your needs or you need additional help, please contact gifts@smu.edu.
Gifts in memory, honor, or celebration are collectively referred to as “Tribute Gifts”. For more information on making tribute gifts, please visit the Donor Relations tribute page HERE.
SMU is always in need of unrestricted gifts. Click HERE to learn more about Pony Power Plus and other initiatives identified as immediate needs.
SMU has set up the Presidential Fund for Immediate Needs to fund, prepare for, and combat COVID-19 on our campus. Click HERE for more information.
SMU has 3 public giving societies: the Hilltop Society, President’s Associates, and the Dallas Hall Society (for planned gift donors). For more information click HERE.
The Office of Donor Relations and Stewardship recognizes gifts that have a charitable component. Eligible gifts at various levels receive acknowledgment postcards, letters, or other specialized stewardship.
Skybox leases and the base Mustang Athletic Fund have Fair Market Value (FMV) and may not be considered charitable contributions. Donors who make payments to these will be sent a receipt with any Fair Market Value of the goods they have received in exchange for the payment deducted from their charitable amount.
Eligible gifts made through Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) receive acknowledgments but are receipted directly to the DAF administrator and not the donor themselves. SMU is not able to provide receipts to donors who give through DAFs.
All other contributions to SMU, including those above that have FMV, are receipted by the Office of Gift Processing. To contact Gift Processing to make a gift, ask for a new receipt, or more please email gifts@smu.edu or contact Donor Relations.
Paying Tribute
SMU’s proud tradition of honoring those who impact the lives of others dates back to our founding. Our first building, the iconic Dallas Hall, was named to recognize the significant efforts of the citizens of Dallas who provided initial funding for the University in the heart of this thriving city.
This tradition remains alive today.
You can celebrate the lives and moments that most impacted your life with a gift to SMU in their honor or memory.
Tribute Gifts
A tribute gift is a meaningful way to convey sympathy to the bereaved, memorialize a loved one, or commemorate a special occasion such as an anniversary or graduation. Making an honorary or memorial gift is a generous and thoughtful way to recognize a person’s life and accomplishments and to ensure a legacy that extends far into the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information, please contact Erin Jines, Director of Leadership and Affinity Giving, at: ejines@smu.edu.
Centennial Pavers can be found by using the button above “Find My Centennial Paver”. If you are still unable to find your paver, need additional assistance, or have questions about Friends of Libraries pavers, please contact Jill Rogers, Assistant Director of Naming Opportunities at: jillr@smu.edu.
Limited naming opportunities are available in the Centennial Reading Room and other areas on campus. For more information, contact Jill Rogers at: jillr@smu.edu.
When requesting memorial gifts in an obituary, SMU recommends using the following language:
The family requests that memorial gifts be made in support of the [specified fund] at SMU. Checks made payable to the “SMU” can be mailed to:
SMU Office of Development
c/o Gift Processing
PO Box 750402
Dallas TX 75275-0402
Or you may make a gift online at giving.smu.edu. Please indicate that the gift is in memory of [name] by writing a memo on your check or marking the “in memory of” box when making a gift online.
Endowments
The SMU Endowment was established in 1914 with a gift of $111,540 from the General Education Board of The Methodist Church. The Endowment now represents more than $1.6 billion in assets that are invested in a diversified portfolio designed to ensure current support as well as growth for the future.
Investment in the SMU endowment provides long-term funding to enhance student quality, faculty and academic excellence, and the campus experience. Annual income from the endowment provides vital support for the University.
To impact the lives of students tomorrow, consider a gift to the SMU Endowment today.
Frequently Asked Questions
The current policy has been in effect since the fiscal year 2005 and is based on a model used by Yale University. The spending formula includes both an inflation component that places an emphasis on stable budget support and a market value component that responds to changes in portfolio valuations. The latter includes the current spending percentage of 4.5 percent, approved by the SMU Board of Trustees, applied to a four-quarter average of trailing market value.
SMU has three primary goals with regard to its spending policy: maintain the endowment’s real purchasing power, minimize the year-to-year volatility to aid in budget planning, and support the University’s educational goals by releasing a substantial and sustainable flow of funds to the operating budget.
Only 15% of the University’s operating budget is funded by income from the endowment.
Generally, new funds are established when a donor and the University enter into an endowment agreement. Occasionally endowment funds are established through a bequest, annuity, or trust. Please contact the Office of Donor Relations and Stewardship for more information or if you are interested in establishing a new endowed fund. [LINK]
How Can We Help You Today?
For general questions about your gift, recognition or stewardship, contact us at donorrelations@smu.edu or 214-768-4071.