1. What is the UVM Foundation?

Yep, most alums don’t know who we are…we’ve learned to hold back our tears. But, in reality, everyone knows what we do, they just might not connect the name.

We have two clear purposes: (1) connect and engage with alumni and (2) raise money for UVM.

That’s it.

When you get invited to events — that’s us. When you become an admissions or career volunteer — that’s us.  When you get an email asking you to make a gift to your favorite club on campus — that’s us.  When you get Afterword emails — that’s us.

2. Is the alumni association the same as the Foundation?

Yep, the Alumni Association and the Foundation are one-in-the-same. We all work together to engage alumni and fundraise for a multitude of projects across campus.

3. Why should I care?

To be perfectly honest, this is the most difficult question we get asked. We know you don’t think about UVM every day and we know you can stay connected to your UVM friends without us.

But, we still want to be relevant to you (and not a bother), so here are a few important reasons you should keep us in mind from time to time:

• We genuinely want to be a part of your life. Graduating from UVM means you are part of a big and loving community and that relationship has no end date. So, when you need us, we’ll be here.
• You have a community wherever you go. Regardless of where you live, UVM is there. Whether it’s seeing people at an event, connecting through LinkedIn, or following UVM on Snapchat, there is always a community you can plug into.
• You always have a place to come home. It doesn’t matter you live in California or on Henry Street in Burlington, UVM is a place you can call home. In fact, every year we have alumni come back for their 75th reunion (yeah, they are 95 years old and still coming back). And with the opening of the Alumni House this summer, there will actually be a place just for you on campus.
• Reputation matters. The better the reputation of UVM, the easier it is for you to get a job, change careers, and find success. Perception matters and you can help influence how people view UVM with your pride and participation as an alum.
• Without fundraising, UVM is in big trouble. It’s not everyone’s favorite topic, but UVM needs to fundraise. We’re a non-profit organization that needs private support to operate. UVM relies on nearly $20 million dollars a year in donations from thousands of donors and that money touches every area of campus. If everyone stopped giving, students and faculty would be in big trouble.

Any questions?

Do you have questions about UVM or the UVM Foundation? Is there anything you’d like us to clarify? We’re knee deep in the work we do and we don’t know what we don’t know. So feel free to ask us anything.

You can submit any questions, concerns, comments here.