Annual Giving Glossary

Gifts made annually for budgeted expenses each year. The Annual Fund (also called the Alumni Fund), together with tuition revenues and endowment income, is the foundation for the institution’s budget. The Annual Fund receives money for the “here and now.” 

A gift made on the condition that it be matched  “dollar for dollar” or that it inspire a specific number of donors to make a gift within a specified window of time. 

A campaign is a time-bound effort to reach a specified donor or dollar goal. We have big “C” and little “c” campaigns!

• Big “C” – a long-term comprehensive effort “For Every Future: The Campaign for Middlebury​” that runs through 2028. The goal is $600 million. 

• Little “c” – short-term participation fundraising drives for the Annual Fund (such as Proud to be a Panther, MiddWinter Challenge). 

The endowment is a permanent fund that helps ensure Middlebury’s financial stability, flexibility, and autonomy. The endowment is composed of hundreds of restricted and unrestricted individual endowments. The earnings from the endowment support Middlebury’s programs and initiatives, including scholarships, professorships and faculty support, internships, and research fellowships, in perpetuity. 

Middlebury’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. You can think of the fiscal year as corresponding to the academic year. 

January 1 to December 31. Some donors prefer to organize their giving around the calendar year, which is why we draw attention to December 31. 

In-kind donations are a type of charitable giving in which tangible items are given, as opposed to gifts of cash or stock. Typical examples of gifts-in-kind are artwork or property.  

LYBUNT (acronym): Donors who gave Last Year But Unfortunately Not This year.  

A gift made by a corporation, business, or foundation, to match a gift by one of its employees (the most common type of matching gift here at Middlebury).  

The online task system used by Annual Giving volunteers. The Volunteer Portal allows volunteers to choose and manage their assignments, find online resources (like email templates), and communicate efficiently via email merges.  

Midd’s Volunteer Portal is housed on GiveCampus, which is also the software we use for social and peer-to-peer fundraising during major Annual Giving campaigns. 

Alumni who have not made a gift in the current fiscal year.  

The percentage of alumni with active records who make a gift during the fiscal year. 

Gifts made through a will, retirement account, or other beneficiary designation.  

A donor’s commitment to make a gift over a specific period (either by the end of the current fiscal year or over the course of several fiscal years). The College will send pledge reminders until the pledge is fulfilled. During each fiscal year that the pledge is active, donors have until June 30 to make their pledge payment.  

The group of student workers who make phone calls on behalf of Middlebury. These students ask for gifts, make event reminder calls, and call to thank donors, among other tasks.  

SYBUNT (acronym): Donors who gave Some Year But Unfortunately Not This year. “Some” refers to any year more than one year out.  

Donors who have given three (3) consecutive years or more.

Donors who gave three (3) consecutive years or more but did not give last fiscal year. For example, lapsed True Blue donors in FY23 would be those who gave in FY18 through FY21, but did not give in FY22.