Giving FAQs

The Alumni Annual Fund is the Saïd Business School's community fundraising appeal, aiming to maximise the number of alumni donating to the School on a regular basis.

Regular annual donations are needed to help the School develop over the coming decades by harnessing the energy, goodwill and creativity of successive generations of alumni.

Each Alumni Annual Fund appeal fundraises to support scholarships, lifelong learning and new academic initiatives within the School. Expanding financial support in all of these areas is key to our strategy of becoming a world-class business school, embedded in a world-class University, tackling world-scale problems.

Our supporters donate for many reasons, but here are some of the most common motivations:

‘Giving provides an opportunity to give back to my community, giving others the opportunity to benefit from a great education’

‘Contributing to building a world-leading annual giving programme strengthens the reputation of the School, impacting the ability to attract the best students, whilst also adding value to the global brand we all benefit from’

‘The AAF harnesses the potential of each alumnus donating what they can. It is incredible to think of what we can achieve if everyone were to donate just £50.’

‘Being a donor deepens my engagement with the alumni network. I can rarely attend events, and don’t have the time to volunteer, so donating ensures I can still get involved.’

Within Higher Education, Annual Funds provide vital support to any Development Programme. Donations received on an annual basis provide a steady and reliable income stream, allowing us to efficiently manage and allocate funds with maximum impact.

Gifts can be made online, via post, telephone or bank transfer.

To donate online please click here.

For details on other forms of giving please see here, being careful to name ‘Saïd Business School AAF’ on the relevant form.

If you experience any difficulties when making your gift please contact the Development Office by email or by telephoning +44(0)1865 288826.

The Alumni Annual Fund aims for each alumnus to give at a level they are most comfortable with. Whilst some may choose to make an annual gift of £1000, others may be more comfortable donating an initial single gift of £50.

Here is how the Alumni Annual Fund measures up against our competitors...

The 2013 Appeal counts all gifts made to the Alumni Annual Fund between 1 August 2012 and 31 July 2013. Any gifts made after 1 August 2013 will be counted towards the 2014 appeal. These dates coincide with the University's fiscal year.

This year we will be contacting more alumni than ever before, using email instead of direct mail and launching a new online donation form on the OBA website. Combined with an expansion in the number of volunteers, the creation of donor giving societies and a stronger social media presence, we hope to exceed all previous targets by raising at least £100,000 before July 31.

While donations can be accepted at any time in the year, the main campaign activity takes place in June and July. This year's schedule is as follows:

1. Track the number of donors in your class or College by viewing our online donor list.
2. Check out the Appeal Update page each week for an update on the total raised to date
3. Stay engaged through our social media channels

Campaign Champions will receive weekly updates including comparisons between classes. To be added to this mailing list please email development.office@sbs.ox.ac.uk

Headline results will be announced on our website and social media channels on August 1. The Donor Report will be published in September, and will contain a breakdown of gifts by year, course and country in addition to sharing details of how funds have been allocated.

1. Is your email address updated on the OBA directory? Click here to check your details.
2. We work very closely with the Collegiate University in co-ordinating appeals. Whilst the majority of alumni will be contacted in June and July, some will be contacted in September to make sure alumni do not receive multiple solicitations in a short period of time.

The University of Oxford's Donor Charter outlines our commitment to recognising the generosity of all Alumni Annual Fund supporters. Each donor receives an acknowledgement from Dean Peter Tufano and, if they wish, their name will be listed in our online donor list.

In addition, we have created two societies to recognise those donors whose visionary support is inspiring and leading the creation of a culture of philanthropy at the School. Click here for further information.

The donor list contains the names of all individuals who have made a donation to the Alumni Annual Fund between 1 August 2012 and 31 July 2013. It does not include the names of those donors who requested anonymity when making their gift.

The list is updated at 5am GMT each day. However gifts made via Americans for Oxford may take up to five working days to be transferred into our system.

If you are concerned that your name is missing, please contact development.office@sbs.ox.ac.uk

The functionality to search for classmates by course and start date will be introduced this autumn. In the meantime, you can still search for classmates using their first name or surname

The AAF allows individuals to dedicate their gift to a specific funding area. If your class is interested in fundraising for a specific naming opportunity to commemorate a Reunion Year or other occasion, please contact Rachel Kirwan, Fundraising Programmes Officer.

Click here to find out more about volunteering as a Campaign Champion.

Quite simply: make a gift, tell a friend!

If you wish to get more involved, please contact Rachel Kirwan to be connected to your class' Campaign Champions

If you made a regular pledge as part of your class gift, any gifts made to the School will be credited against this commitment. For full details on historic and current pledge balances please contact development.office@sbs.ox.ac.uk

Yes – all gifts made to the Alumni Annual Fund are matched to your alumni record, allowing us to accurately credit your gift to your class totals (both amount raised and participation).

If you have completed more than one course at the University of Oxford, your gift will be automatically credited to your first course. To amend this, please contact development.office@sbs.ox.ac.uk

To credit your gift to your household, please send your spouse's details (name, year and course) to development.office@sbs.ox.ac.uk

Answer

Online gifts will receive an automated receipt via email. If you do not receive a receipt within two hours of making your gift please contact development.office@sbs.ox.ac.uk

For gifts made using other methods, you will receive a receipt and acknowledgement within five working days.

a) UK

For every £1 a UK taxpayer donates, the AAF is able to claim an extra 25p in reclaimed tax from HMRC. To ensure your donation qualifies for ‘Gift Aid’, simply tick the box when giving online or via post. For more information on Gift Aid, please click here.

*STOP PRESS*

If you pay higher rate tax within the UK, you are eligible to claim an additional tax rebate when you complete your Self Assessment:

To find out more about claiming back higher rate tax, please visit

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm#4  or contact development.office@sbs.ox.ac.uk.

b) Transnational Giving Europe (TGE)

TGE is a partnership of leading European foundations that facilitates tax-efficient cross-border giving within Europe. For more information, please click here

c) US

To ensure your donation is eligible for a tax rebate under 501(c)(3), ensure you make your donation via Americans for Oxford.

d) Canada

To be issued with a tax-receipt, please tick the relevant box when making a gift online or via post.

The University of Oxford Development Trust ensures that all donations to the Alumni Annual Fund are allocated in accordance with the donors' wishes. Specifically:

Dean's Development Fund – will be allocated to the Saïd Business School's area of greatest need, as decided by Dean Peter Tufano

Scholarships – will be allocated to help the School attract the best applicants through the award of Alumni Annual Fund Scholarships. This fund is administered by the Scholarships Committee, chaired by Jonathan Reynolds (Associate Dean).

Lifelong Learning – will be allocated to support the strengthening and expansion of GOTO, enabling students and alumni to benefit from a Lifelong Learning community. The fund will be administered by the Head of Alumni Relations

The Donor Report (published in September) will contain a full breakdown of how much was donated to each fund, in addition to full details as to how the funds have been spent.

The Alumni Annual Fund is governed by the University of Oxford Development Trust. Please click here for more details.

Annual Fund donations are intended to be allocated to current use, enabling the School to quickly allocate funds to relevant initiatives, and ensuring all gifts can demonstrate a tangible impact for donors.

The School's Development Office coordinates a series of major giving initiatives, which include long-term gifts and investments into the University of Oxford endowment.

Last year's Alumni Annual Fund supported the establishment of the AAF Scholarships, a student hardship fund and the launch of GOTO. Click here to view the 2012 donor report in full.

All donations to Colleges, departments and the University of Oxford count towards the Oxford Thinking Campaign, which was launched in 2008. This means that whilst all gifts towards the Alumni Annual Fund will be allocated according to the donor's wishes, your gift will also count towards the total raised in the second phase of the Oxford Thinking campaign.

The Oxford Thinking campaign is the largest fundraising campaign outside of North America, with the goal of raising £3billion to secure the future of the University. Further information can be found here.

Online gifts to the Collegiate University can be made here. For information on how to give by post, telephone or fax, please click here.