Over a three-year average, $2.1 million of the $10.8 million total gifts and pledges are designated for specific purposes within the Dickinson Fund, which is made up of donations that go directly to the operations of the college.

When giving to the Dickinson Fund, the college’s annual reserve, those donating can make their donation “Designated” or “Undesignated.” Undesignated gifts are made to the category titled “Our [the college’s] greatest area of need,” while choices for designated gifts include academic programming, sustainability and facilities, said Kirk Swenson, vice president of College Advancement.

“The Dickinson Fund is our most popular designation because its supports the greatest needs of the college – from scholarships to student life to internships,” said Associate Vice President of College Advancement Jessica Jones in an email. “The McAndrews Fund is also popular because it directly benefits our student athletes.”

Swenson said the greatest number of donations go to undesignated areas of support by opting to donate to the college’s greatest area of need. “We count on these gifts each year when building our operating budget and without them we would need to trim roughly $3M from our budget.”

“Unrestricted gifts are the most beneficial to the college because they can be used for the current greatest need annually,” said Jones. “With that said, though, if a donor wants to restrict his or her gift, that is absolutely possible and may augment the budget. We discuss those gifts at higher levels with the budget manager and finance office.”

Both Swenson and Jones noted the popularity of scholarship donations. “We are fortunate to have an alumni population that sees access to a Dickinson education as a priority, so we often establish new endowed scholarship funds,” said Jones. 

“Dickinsonians do gravitate toward scholarship support,” said Swenson.

“Donating to a specific cause helps students recognize what/who has made their Dickinson experience meaningful and special,” said Maureen Moroz ’19, president of the Student Alumni Association. “For example, if you studied abroad in Malaga, there is a designated area of the fund for it. If you’re here because of scholarship, grants or financial aid, you can give to that cause and perpetuate the cycle of supporting Dickinsonians — past, present and future.”

Regardless of where the donor designates their money toward, the college is grateful for gifts in all forms and sizes. “When a donor cares deeply about a specific area of the college we’re happy to receive that support and we have needs across campus,” said Swenson. 

Sewenson said also, “We strive to create a relationship with the Dickinson community including alumni events, career mentoring and networking, and lifelong learning opportunities,” says Jones.

“Philanthropy inherently creates an affinity to Dickinson College,” says Moroz. “It is money, time or simply smiling and saying hello to a prospective student on campus — epitomizes everything we believe in as Dickinsonians.”