Other Volunteer Resources

“Ask” Amount: The suggested “ask” amount determined for each classmate each year. The volunteer asks her assigned classmate to consider this specific amount. 

Appeal: A solicitation from the College via mail or email.

Cornerstone Gifts: MHFund leadership gifts at the level of $1,837 or more. Recent alum Cornerstone levels begin at $100. 

Current Use Gifts: A current use gift is a donation that may be spent by the College immediately. MHFund gifts are current use gifts and are utilized immediately. 

Endowment: A portion of Mount Holyoke’s assets held in “savings” to generate income forever. Only a percentage of the earnings of these funds is used by the College. 

Endowment Gifts: An endowed gift requires the gift be held in perpetuity and only the income generated by investing the original gift may be spent. Income distributed per College policy becomes available for current use spending. The funds must be spent in accordance with the terms set forth by the donor. 

Fiscal Year: July 1 through June 30. 

Gift Destination: Our gift "destinations" are designations within The Mount Holyoke Fund that support the areas of greatest need at the College.

Leadership Giving Officers: Staff members who work with alums capable of making a gift of $100,000 or more to the College. Leadership Giving Officers work regionally and focus on connecting alums to the College and exploring their philanthropic interests at Mount Holyoke. 

LYBUNT: Refers to an alum who gave to The Mount Holyoke Fund (L)ast Fiscal (Y)ear (B)ut (U)nfortunately (N)ot (T)his Fiscal Year. 

Matching Gift: Donations given by a company or foundation to match the gift made by an employee or the employee’s spouse or partner. A great way to increase the size of your annual gift. 

Mount Holyoke Fund: The Mount Holyoke Fund is the College's annual fund. All gifts to The Mount Holyoke Fund are considered unrestricted and are put to use immediately in support of the College's operating budget. 

Mount Holyoke Fund Scholar: A student who is granted a one-year named scholarship from a donor who makes a gift of $10,000 or more to The Mount Holyoke Fund Scholars program. The donor receives a letter from the scholarship recipient.

Other Gift (as it appears in the Volunteer Hub reports): A gift to any College fund other than The Mount Holyoke Fund. 

Recent Alums: Alums who graduated one to ten years ago.

Restricted Gift: Gifts that are directed to a specific purpose do not count toward The Mount Holyoke Fund — but do count for participation and in comprehensive fundraising totals.

Solicitable Base: The number of classmates who are actively receiving solicitations from the College. This number is used as the denominator to determine class participation rates. The total number of classmates may be larger than the solicitable base.

Stewardship: The practice of engaging with donors to recognize and thank them for their gifts to the College, and to show them the impact of their gift on the mission of the institution. 

SYBUNT: Refers to an alum who gave to The Mount Holyoke Fund (S)ome Fiscal (Y)ear (B)ut (U)nfortunately (N)ot (T)his Fiscal Year. 

Unrestricted Gift: Gifts that are made without specific limitations. Gifts to The Mount Holyoke Fund are unrestricted and allow the College to be flexible and innovative.

Receipts MUST be provided for each and every expense. Please submit with this form.

Mount Holyoke College has developed financial guidelines to ensure that volunteer expenditures are in accordance with standard practices and normal accounting procedures. The following guidelines constitute usual and customary standards for reimbursable expenses likely to be incurred by volunteers in support of Mount Holyoke College.

General Reimbursement Policy

Mount Holyoke College accounting procedures require a detailed reporting of expense reimbursement payments made by the College. Volunteers are asked to keep accurate records and obtain receipts for all expenditures. Expenses should be submitted promptly and no later than June 1 for the current fiscal year (fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30) with receipts attached to the completed reimbursement form. The minimum for reimbursement is $25, and all reimbursements will be made by check.

Travel

The Mount Holyoke Fund will reimburse expenses incurred for airfare, ground transportation, personal automobile mileage, parking and tolls in connection with on campus events scheduled by the Office of Development according to the following guidelines:

• Recent Alums (1 to 15 years out): The Mount Holyoke Fund will reimburse recent alum volunteers for travel expenses up to a maximum of $500. 
• Alums 16+ years out: In general, The Mount Holyoke Fund will NOT reimburse volunteers beyond 15th Reunion for travel expenses. However, in cases of financial hardship, alums may directly and confidentially request reimbursement up to $250. To request reimbursement, please contact Audrey Markarian ’07, Associate Director of the Mount Holyoke Fund for Volunteer and Class Management, at aemarkar@mtholyoke.edu.

Events scheduled by the Office of Development include, but are not limited to, volunteer committee meetings.

Volunteers are encouraged to research lowest possible travel fares when booking their own travel.

Meals and Accommodations

The Mount Holyoke Fund will provide volunteers with meals and accommodations in connection with on-campus or off-campus events scheduled by the Office of Development.

Stationery and Postage

When appropriate, The Mount Holyoke Fund will provide stationery and postage. Out-of-pocket postage expenses are reimbursable with original receipt(s).

Expenses NOT Considered Reimbursable by the College

• First-class airfare
• Frequent flyer miles
• Private limousines
• Non-receipted expenses
• Gifts
• Personal expenses (such as childcare, speeding or parking tickets, alcoholic beverages)
• Food, beverage, and other personal items purchased while traveling

Donations in Lieu of Reimbursement

In keeping with industry standards, Mount Holyoke is no longer allowing for these expenses to be credited directly as a gift to the College in lieu of reimbursement. Transactions for expense reimbursements and donations must be separate and distinct.

If you would like to give the amount of the reimbursement to the College as a gift, you must do so in a separate transaction, either through our online gift form or by mailing your donation to the College.

If you choose to submit expenses incurred on behalf of the College for reimbursement, you may do so using our revised form, available at www.mtholyoke.edu/go/MHFvolunteer. You will be reimbursed directly.

You may also choose not to submit a request for reimbursement. In this case, you may save your receipts and consult with your tax advisor to determine whether your volunteer expenses are deductible as charitable donations on your tax return.

If you have any questions, please contact your Mount Holyoke Fund staff liaison.

We are grateful for all of your work on behalf of the College!