FAQs

Exponential: The Campaign for UNC Charlotte is the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s $200 million comprehensive campaign to increase scholarships (Opportunity), improve the student experience (Resources), recruit skilled faculty (Talent), and support key programs (Impact), shaping the future of the University.

A campaign provides a discipline for setting fundraising priorities.  A campaign creates excitement, intensity, and a series of deadlines that serve as motivation. It also creates pride and energizes alumni, faculty, and staff.

You can give online via credit card at www.giving.uncc.edu. You can also mail via USPS, FedEx, or UPS a personal check, cashier’s check, or money order, designated to UNC Charlotte Foundation, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC  28223.

You can direct your gift to any college, department, or program. Your donation will be used as you wish and determine. All gifts count toward Exponential: The Campaign for UNC Charlotte.

Donating to the campaign isn’t just about a specific dollar amount. Participation and engagement are also extremely important. Gifts to the campaign not only support our financial goals – they also help foster our community’s sense of connection with, and investment in, UNC Charlotte. When a greater number of community members engage with the campaign – at every donation level – it inspires others to lend their support, affirms the value of a UNC Charlotte education, and creates greater unity among alumni, faculty, staff members, and current students.

Donations to the Annual Fund are used throughout the year for the immediate needs of our students, providing vital operating funds for priority University initiatives, much-needed assistance for student scholarships and the student experience, and support for the faculty. Some of the contributions cover opportunities that arise over the course of the year while others help fund unanticipated expenses.

Donations to the Annual Fund are an important source of funds and are counted as part of our overall campaign goal. We encourage members of Niner Nation to take this opportunity to continue their support of the nnual und, and, if possible, consider a gift to one of the funding priorities associated with the campaign.

Campaign gifts fund initiatives that will strengthen the University over the longer term, such as donations to endow scholarships in perpetuity, fund a new program, or enable the expansion of student experiences.

UNC Charlotte, North Carolina’s fastest-growing public university, has been both the vehicle for and the power behind the exponential rise of our students, who have helped fuel our region and our economy. Approximately 34% of UNC Charlotte’s annual budget is from state funds. UNC Charlotte addresses the remaining expenses from other sources such as tuition and fees and private fundraising. Your support of the campaign will help fill the $70 million in unfunded student need every year, increasing access to students of all backgrounds through scholarships. The campaign will further the experiences that provide our students bridges to the real world or to what is next in their careers. Exponential will support our ability to recruit and foster a world-class faculty. The campaign brings opportunities to invest in special, game-changing initiatives that will reinforce UNC Charlotte as an economic engine for the region. Your gift will impact the students, faculty, and staff of UNC Charlotte as well as industries and residents of the entire region.

Virtually every student at an institution of higher learning benefits from the generosity of past donors. For example, the facilities that enhanced your UNC Charlotte education – from the Barnhardt Student Activity Center and Popp Martin Student Union to Johnson Band Center – existed in large part thanks to the generosity of past donors. Your participation in philanthropy not only benefits future generations of UNC Charlotte students – it also honors the gifts made by previous generations of contributors.

As a donor to the campaign, you will receive a receipt confirming your gift for tax purposes and a thank you from UNC Charlotte. UNC Charlotte will continue to communicate with you to share the impact of your gifts. UNC Charlotte recognizes our most generous supporters through membership in University-wide giving societies: the 1946 Society, the Bonnie E. Cone Society, the Chancellor’s Society, the Crown Society, and the Colvard Society. 

A number of charitable gift opportunities exist that allow you to do that. To learn more, please contact our Director of Planned Giving, Amy Shehee, at 704-687-0301 or ashehee@uncc.edu.

Endowments are funds that are invested in perpetuity for the purposes determined by the donor. The principal is invested and a portion of the fund’s value is made available each year to support the purpose determined by the donor. The interest may be used to support specific donor designations, but the principal amount is left intact. Any excess earnings are reinvested, allowing the fund to grow. An endowed fund is established with a minimum gift of $25,000. The establishment of an endowed fund is a great way to leave a legacy and impact future generations.

Many of our donors gain special satisfaction from making a donation associated with a specific member of the UNC Charlotte community by endowing a professorship, a graduate fellowship, or an undergraduate student scholarship. Endowed gifts play a valuable role in meeting our goals for Exponential: The Campaign for UNC Charlotte. To learn more, please contact contact our Senior Director of Major Gifts, Ged Doughton, at 704-687-6187 or gdoughton@uncc.edu.

Gifts of personal property such as real estate and other valuable personal assets may be donated to UNC Charlotte. To learn more, please contact our Associate Vice Chancellor of Development, Beth Crigler, at 704-687-7677 or beth.crigler@uncc.edu.  

UNC Charlotte invests the pooled endowment funds with two fund managers, the UNC Management Company and Global Emerging Markets (GEM).

Absolutely. UNC Charlotte’s Office of Planned Giving has a broad range of giving opportunities for supporters who want to include UNC Charlotte as part of their estate plan. These giving opportunities can be used to support the campaign. Depending upon your goals and interests, your gift can be made in the form of an outright gift of cash, securities, personal property, bequest intention, charitable annuity, or trust arrangements. To learn more, please contact our Director of Planned Giving, Amy Shehee,  at 704-687-0301 or ashehee@uncc.edu.

If your company is eligible, request a matching gift form from your employer and send the completed and signed form with your gift. We will handle the rest. Some companies match gifts made by retirees and/or spouses.

In addition to making a gift to support UNC Charlotte, many supporters also share their time. There are numerous volunteer opportunities available to alumni, parents, and friends. These opportunities include serving on an advisory board, joining an affinity group, and sharing your UNC Charlotte experience with others. To learn more, please contact our Alumni Affairs Office at 704-687-7799, 800-745-8622, or 49eralumni@uncc.edu.

Faculty and staff looking for an easy way to support the campaign can make one-time gifts or sign up to make ongoing gifts through payroll deduction. Employees can also support the University in the future by designating UNC Charlotte as a beneficiary of retirement plan assets.

Please contact our Associate Vice Chancellor of Development, Beth Crigler, at 704-687-7677 or beth.crigler@uncc.edu.