HOW TO MAKE A GIFT

There are many ways to give to WWU through The Foundation for WWU & Alumni. Please review our Gift Acceptance Policy and refer to the giving methods below.

Phone

To give over the phone, or for more information, please call (360) 650-3027 to reach one of our development professionals.

Online

Give using your credit card on our secure site. You can make one-time gift or set up a recurring gift online.

Mail

Make checks payable to WWU Foundation and write the area you wish to support in the memo line of your check. 

Mail your check to:
The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
516 High Street, MS 9034
Bellingham, WA 98225 

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

To establish a recurring EFT (or set up a one-time EFT) gift, please click here and follow the prompts. Please note that you’ll be redirected to a CashNet or Transact site, as CashNet/Transact is our payment processor.

Payroll Deduction

WWU employees can give directly through their paycheck. Minimum deduction amount per pay period is $5. Employees can use the payroll deduction form to update, replace, or start a new payroll deduction gift.

Employees can use the form below to cancel an existing payroll deduction pledge. 
Online payroll deduction cancellation form.

Appreciated Stocks and Securities

WWU welcomes gifts of appreciated stocks and securities. They may be made as outright gifts or as a payment on a pledge. Stock certificates may be reassigned directly to The Foundation or may be transferred through the donor's broker. For more information click on this link. The mean market value on the date of the transfer will determine the value of the gift for tax purposes. It is best to consult with a development professional before a transaction is made. For general questions on securities, call (360) 650-3027.

Donor Advised Funds

WWU welcomes gifts from Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). A DAF is a charitable giving program that allows you to combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to support Western Washington University; from your Donor-Advised Fund you may recommend donations to the area(s) on campus you are most passionate about. Please be aware that IRS limitations and regulations prohibit any benefits, such as tickets or items, be received by the donor when giving through their financial institution’s donor-advised fund. Please visit your DAF’s website to submit your gift recommendation. Here is some additional information you’ll need to provide:

1. The amount of your gift
2. The name of the particular campus fund or campus unit that you’d like to support
3. Checks must be made payable to The Foundation for WWU & Alumni and mailed to the address below:
   The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
   516 High Street, MS 9034
   Bellingham, WA 98225
4. The tax identification number for the WWU Foundation is 91-6073519

If you have questions, you or your DAF can contact The Foundation at forwestern@wwu.edu or 360-650-3027. Thank you!

Volunteering

Not all valuable contributions are financial. If you prefer to share your experience and skills with current students, sponsor or host an event, become a mentor or provide an internship, find out how to get involved.

Gifts in Memoriam & Gifts in Honor of

A gift to honor or memorialize a family member, friend, student, or colleague is a powerful way to pay tribute to that important person. Many memorial funds are established as permanent endowments, carrying on the name(s) of those honored.

Here are a few ways you can honor someone with a gift at Western:

• Make a gift of any amount to your favorite department, program or scholarship in honor of someone. You can indicate the name of the person you are honoring when giving online or on the memo line of your check.  If you would like us to send a card to the person or their next of kin, please include the name and address of the person we should send our “in honor/memory of” letter to.
• Purchase a brick for $100 or more to be placed on memory walk in front of Old Main at foundation.wwu.edu/alumniservices
• Establish an annual scholarship in honor of someone with a gift of $2,000 per year or an endowed scholarship with a gift of $25,000 (payable over five years).  Please visit our scholarship page for more information.

Please call (360) 650-3027 to make arrangements for more information on setting up a fund or contributing to an area or program of interest to the person being remembered or honored. 

Gifts can be made online at wwu.edu/give or by check payable to The Foundation for WWU & Alumni and mailed to:

The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
516 High Street
Bellingham, WA 98225-9034

Property Gifts

Donors can contribute their personal residences, land, commercial or other property to the WWU Foundation. We also accept certain works of art, books, furnishings and other non-cash items. In most cases, these gifts are recorded at their fair market value. Gifts with a value of $5,000 or more must have a professional appraisal. Please call (360) 650-3027 to speak with a development professional about your gift of property.

Planned Giving

When you make a gift to Western Washington University through your will, trust, or retirement plan, you are sowing the seeds of future support that will benefit Western—and its students—for generations to come. Planned gifts can provide flexible, creative approaches to your charitable and estate planning. While gifts through one’s estate are the most common type of planned gift, some planned gifts can provide you with income for life, while many others may reduce your taxes. Your gifts can be directed to support any area of the university you choose to further student success

To learn more about planned giving, including how to direct a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA, please visit this link.

The Foundation now has a partnership with FreeWill, an online tool that allows you to create free, legally valid estate documents. Please click here for more information and to start your will today.

 

Matching Gifts

Did you know that your employer and WWU might be the perfect match? Your company could double-or even triple-your gift through its matching gift program.  

You can use our Matching Gifts portal to see if your company will match your gift and initiate that match.

VikingFunder

VikingFunder is Western's exclusive crowdfunding site for departments, programs and clubs all across campus to participate in fundraising for special projects. All of the money raised through VikingFunder goes to the projects and gifts made on the platform are treated as gifts to the WWU Foundation. They are tax-deductible under our 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and go through Western’s online giving, gift processing, receipting, and recording protocols. Therefore, use of the platform is restricted to official WWU projects.

Please visit Vikingfunder to see what projects you can support and submit an application if you’ve got a project that needs funding!