Supporting the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus

Annual gifts assist in supplying immediate and much needed resources to support campus  priorities by:

• Providing scholarships and graduate fellowships for deserving students.
• Attracting and retaining an excellent faculty.
• Strengthening our curriculum and outreach programs.
• Providing access to the latest classroom technology.
• Providing current periodicals and publications for research and the library.
• Supporting creative and innovative teaching methods and research.
• Maintaining and enhancing the University.

Gifts both large and small make a difference at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus and every contribution, no matter the size, is vital to our ability to achieve excellence.

As the cost of public education rises and support at the state level decreases, new opportunities for funding student excellence must be found. Scholarships are one way of ensuring that talented students have access to the education they deserve. Private gifts of scholarship is critical in making a college education a reality for many students.

The generosity of thousands of donors has helped generations of USF Sarasota-Manatee campus students realize their dream of a university degree. Your gift of scholarship in any size serves as an investment in the future.

Unrestricted gifts are a very powerful form of private support because they allow the University to use the gift as it sees fit, where current needs are greatest. This type of gift is vital to the success of the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus because they can be directed to the most critical, promising and appropriate purposes in support of the University. These funds give campus leaders the flexibility to direct funds to needs and opportunities as they arise, helping us provide assistance to students but also enable essential services and operating support for the campus.

Endowments support a broad base of initiatives at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. Endowed funds may be created for scholarships, fellowships, chairs, research, professorships, lecture series, acquisitions, equipment, capital improvements and much more.

Endowment funds preserve the donor’s original gift to the university in perpetuity, creating an enduring legacy that will have a lasting effect. The principal gift remains intact while the earnings from the donor’s investment are used to support its purpose.
The minimum size gift to establish a named endowment is $25,000, which can be paid over a period of years. Donors may use outright or deferred gifts to establish named endowed funds.

University Advancement will work with each donor to discover the best way to create an endowed fund that best suits their particular needs and wishes. Endowments can be established in the donor’s name, the name of their business, or in honor of someone important to the donor. Donors also can specify how they would like the income from the endowment to be used.

Endowed Chairs / Professorships / Fellowships

Eminent Scholars Chair

An endowed chair is a distinguished academic position that is funded through an endowment and established to recognize leadership in a particular concentration and to promote academic excellence. The highest academic award that a University can bestow on a faculty member is to be appointed as a Chair, thus, it is both an honor to the named holder of the appointment and also an enduring tribute to the donor who establishes it.
An endowed chair provides assurance to the university and to the program that the position will be funded into perpetuity, eliminating the uncertainty of fluctuating budget constraints and private funding. The prestige of an endowed chair enriches the university by attracting and retaining highly qualified faculty.

Endowed Eminent Scholar Chairs are designed to attract the very best national and international scholars‐teachers to the University of South Florida. Generally, the income from the endowment supplements the faculty member’s salary and helps support the recipient’s research and teaching.

The minimum gift to endow a named Eminent Scholar Chair is $1,000,000

Professorships are among the most respected and sought after positions in higher education. The USF Sarasota-Manatee campus seeks to endow professorships in all colleges to help it attract and retain top teaching professionals. Income from the endowment contributes to their compensation and scholarly activities.

Endowed Professorships are designed to attract or retain outstanding faculty members by means of income supplements.

The minimum gift to endow a named professorship is $600,000.

Faculty Fellowships are designed to attract and retain outstanding emerging faculty of the University of South Florida by providing funds for faculty development, salary, stipends, support, supplies, and scholarly activity.

The minimum gift to endow a named fellowship is $300,000.

The Foundation’s ability to accept gifts of tangible personal property is another important way it supports the University. Called “Gifts-in-kind” these donations let donors make significant contributions of essential equipment, materials or items for the immediate use by the University. The Foundation can also liquidate a contribution of personal property with proceeds of the sale to benefit the program of the donor’s choice.

Donors are strongly encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding the implications of contributing property to any charitable organization.

Gifts-of-Service refer to those intangible gifts to the university that do not retain any monetary value once consumed. Typically these gifts consist of services that are provided as a gesture of support to the university where the customary expense to provide the service is waived. This type of gift is frequently provided in the form of advertising space, service performance without charge, and discounts.

Contributed services are a significant source of support for the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus however donated services may not be fully deductible under IRS regulations. Donors are strongly encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding the implications of contributing donated services to a charitable organization.

Planned and Estate Gifts

There are few gestures that are more meaningful than planning for others wellbeing after you are gone. Planned gifts can provide flexible strategies for your estate and charitable planning. Some planned gifts may provide you with income. Many of them can reduce your tax obligation. The greatest benefit, however, lies in knowing you are building a legacy for the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus that is important to you and helpful to others.

Wherever your passion lies, you can make a lasting impact with a bequest directed at any purpose, program, school or college. By including the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus in your estate plans, you will help to promote new ideas and create the next generation of leaders.

Some vehicles for including the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus in your charitable plans:

• Life Insurance
• Retirement Assets
• Retained Life Estates
• Bequests
• Gift Annuities
• Lead and Remainder Trusts
• Tangible property

Planned Giving staff members will work closely with you and your advisers to ensure your gift will support your educational purpose

Many companies encourage employees to be philanthropic by matching their employee gifts to colleges and universities. By taking advantage of your company’s matching gift program, you can arrange for an additional gift that can double or triple the impact of your philanthropy. Most matching gift companies match dollar for dollar, and some will even match 2:1 or 3:1. A corporate matching gift is a great way to increase the impact of your personal contribution to the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. Many companies will also match gift by retirees and/or spouses

If your company is eligible, simply request a matching gift form from your employer and send your completed form with your gift. We will do the rest! If you have made your gift online, or have already sent your gift to us, please send the form to our office and we will verify your gift for your companies match.