Senior Class Gift & Student Philanthropy Program Guide
A program playbook for a graduating-class gift whose real objective is habit formation and first-year young-alumni retention, with explicit limits on soliciting students who are paying tuition or carrying loans.
Draft: pending review
This starter document is signed off by Student-philanthropy director + CFRE; FERPA/minor-consent review by counsel before it ships. The guardrails below define that review.
What’s inside
- Program design: symbolic gift amounts, participation-first goal
- Student ambassador recruitment, training, and peer-solicitation scripts
- Senior-to-young-alumni conversion pathway and first-year-out re-solicitation plan
- Recognition mechanics with consent for public name listing
Legal & ethical guardrails
The sector-specific compliance points this document must honor.
- Ethical limit: avoid pressuring current tuition-payers or loan-holders; make clear giving is voluntary and unrelated to enrollment standing
- For minors in K-12 programs, parental consent is required and student data is FERPA-protected
- Recognition displays listing student donor names require documented consent (and parental consent for minors)
- Gifts from students must be receipted to the actual donor of record and use-restricted only as stated
Held for professional review.
The native DOCX and full working text ship only after sign-off by Student-philanthropy director + CFRE; FERPA/minor-consent review by counsel on this exact version. The summary and review requirements remain visible in the meantime.
Not legal advice. Not legal, tax, or accounting advice. The Fundraising Co. provides educational fundraising materials and is not a law firm; nothing here creates an attorney–client relationship or substitutes for advice from professionals licensed in your jurisdiction. Laws and IRS rules vary by state and change over time. Review every document with qualified counsel before use.