Why Giving Matters

Fairfield University’s continued growth depends on the generosity of its alumni, parents and friends. From Fairfield Fund gifts that are for immediate use, to Endowed and Capital Fund gifts that leave a lasting legacy for future generations, your gift every year makes has a big impact. Your generosity:

• Helps us attract highly qualified and motivated students which makes a Fairfield education accessible regardless of financial situation. A majority of Fairfield students require financial assistance.
• Supports our high standard of academic excellence. From attracting and retaining great faculty and staff, to providing state-of-the-art facilities and research opportunities.
• Creates opportunities for students in research and involvement in the global community. Opportunities to lead and serve others. Opportunities to explore one’s talents and vocation.
• Improves our rankings. Each gift, regardless of the amount, counts equally in the criteria that many publications – including U.S. News & World Report – use to produce annual rankings.
• Impacts the value of your Fairfield degree. When your alma mater is ranked highly, people take notice. Employers are always looking to attract top students from highly ranked universities.
• Inspires others to give too!

There are many ways you can help.

Whether you fund a scholarship, support Fairfield's innovative teaching and programming, or give to The Fairfield Fund, your contribution is a partnership for the future. Be part of the collaborative community that makes Fairfield unique!

Your gift matters!
Join the thousands of alumni, parents, and friends of the University whose contributions are making a difference in the lives of Fairfield students.

Facts You May Not Know

• Having a high alumni participation rate is important for Fairfield. It factors into college rankings, external funding decisions and even admission decisions. The calculation:
  
  
  The number of Fairfield undergraduate alumni who give during a fiscal year

  The total number of Fairfield undergraduate alumni for whom we have contact information

• If you are in a pledge but don’t make a payment during the fiscal year, you will not be counted in our alumni participation numbers. So, even if you are only able to make a partial payment during a given year, please let us hear from you.
• Whether you give $10, $100, $1,000 or more, it is all equal in the alumni participation equation. Your gift has a big impact on all we are striving to accomplish and directly helps to improve our participation rate.
• Giving your time to Fairfield is very important and we are grateful for the support. But that does not improve our alumni participation rate. A monetary gift is required.
• Each fiscal year, which runs from July to June, is a new year in calculating alumni participation. So, it’s very important to show your support each year.
• Foundations and corporations from whom we seek grants see annual alumni giving as an indicator of a healthy institution worthy of additional support.
• Our alumni participation rate is below that of many of our peer institutions.

Fairfield’s Average Alumni Participation Rate is 14%*

Source: U.S. News & World Report Rankings 2015-16 (Edition 2017)

*Average alumni giving rate is calculated by U.S. News based on a 2-year average.