Reasons to Give

Every year, there is a difference between what we ask families to pay in tuition and what it actually costs to educate each of our students.

After meeting our commitment to student financial aid, that difference — what we and many other nonprofit institutions call the "gap" — is approximately $5,888 per Hilltopper, per academic year. To close that gap, we humbly ask for charitable gifts from community members like you.

Gifts to The St. Edward’s Fund provide essential funding for the university’s annual operating needs, including scholarships, classroom materials, instructional technology, campus utilities, clubs and programs, health and counseling services, and more.

But donors do more than just close the gap. They uphold our Holy Cross mission and enrich the campus experience for every student, preparing generations of Hilltoppers to create a more humane, just and sustainable world. We're deeply grateful to our donors for investing in our students — and our future.

A big one! Individual acts of kindness add up, and so do your gifts. Last fiscal year, 1,769 annual giving donors came together to raise $830,051 in current-use funds for students. Their median gift size was $100.

Every donor and dollar is a reflection of our community’s dedication to a transformative Holy Cross education. Whether you give $2, $20, or $200 — your generosity changes lives on the hilltop.

Want to see your support go even further? Make a recurring pledge! Recurring gifts provide a stable base of support for students and allow donors the flexibility to make larger gifts in smaller increments while reducing fundraising costs.

To learn more about the power of collective support, check out our annual donor impact report.

Every single penny of your support goes directly to the fund you select on our giving form. We see your gift as an act of trust in our mission, and we are committed to honoring your intent as a donor.

We’re grateful for all gifts, no matter the size or the fund. While many of our donors choose to support specific restricted funds, we hope you will consider making a gift to our Area of Greatest Need. These flexible, unearmarked dollars touch every facet of the campus experience and allow the university to be nimble and resilient in response to emerging community needs. 

Here are just a few examples of what gifts to the Area of Greatest Need support:

• Scholarships — including need-based financial aid. Your generosity ensures that talented students from all backgrounds can find their home on the hilltop, regardless of their financial circumstances.
• Student Support and Activities — including career advising, health and counseling services, student clubs and activities, and more.
• Academic Instruction and Experiential Learning — including technology, online journal acquisitions, classroom materials, advanced research opportunities and paid internships, mission-driven service initiatives, and more.

In the story of your life, every year matters. The same is true for our Hilltoppers and the beloved campus departments, clubs, programs and traditions that shape them.

Gifts to The St. Edward’s Fund provide essential funding for new and continuing initiatives within the university’s yearly operating budget. Every dollar is spent every year. 

In other words, annual gifts cover the costs of annual expenses — financial aid is awarded every year, classrooms need new supplies every year, research and internship opportunities require funding every year, and so on. 

For universities, a strong alumni participation in annual giving is a valuable measure of institutional pride, satisfaction and prestige that extends beyond the total amount of fundraising dollars. Corporations, foundations and institutional evaluators often factor alumni giving rates into their university ranking and funding decisions. More importantly, prospective students, their families and even prospective faculty and staff often take that number into consideration before they apply to St. Ed’s. These potential Hilltoppers are data-savvy, critical thinkers, and this is a great way to show them that our alumni will have their back — that even before they find their way to the hilltop, we're ready to support their success here.

Thanks for your past support! This is most likely due to the timing of our fundraising cycle, which is based on a fiscal year rather than a traditional calendar year. 

Many nonprofits that operate on a seasonal basis, including St. Edward's, base their fundraising deadlines on a fiscal year versus a calendar year. This allows the timing of our operational expenses to better align with the revenue we receive from tuition and charitable gifts. Our fiscal year corresponds with the academic calendar and runs from July 1 of one calendar year to June 30 of the next calendar year.