New contribution platform via University Advancement

While these students scour the web for internship positions and summer vacation spots, one group of students is preparing for the biggest day in their 18 years of structured curriculum. A day that will bring closure to all of the late night cramming sessions, thousands of assigned readings, standardized testing, office hour meetings, and bribing professors with intelligent conversation and Starbucks gift cards in hopes that they will accept the argument for why the only question keeping you away from an A on your midterm was correct. A day to signify the end to undergraduate education and the beginning to post-graduate academia. 

If you haven’t guessed it by now, the day being described is graduation and it's right around the corner for the class of 2014; Friday, May 16th to be exact. With graduation comes a tradition that gives seniors an opportunity to establish their legacy with the university.

Since 1906, the tradition of the Senior Gift has been one that embodies the Trojan Family value of paying it forward to your fellow Trojans.

After voting on a variety of gift options, the senior class has decided to establish the USC Class of 2014 Scholarship Fund for Seniors. This need based scholarship that will help seniors who need a little extra financial boost to finish up their last semesters and receive their diplomas.

The Class of 2015 will be the first recipients, and funding will continue to future senior classes until the funds are exhausted. 

Traditionally, in order to participate and make a gift, students would either have to take the time and mail in donations, give over the phone after a conversation with a student fundraiser, or go online; but with everything seniors have going on (finals, applications, interviews, housing arrangements, movers, ordering cap and gowns, creating invitations, photo sessions [frequent quarter life crisis breakdowns for some], and everything else in preparation for real life) who has time for a 20 minute phone call or a trip to the post office?

USC Commencement via USC

So for the class of 2014, USC’s Office of Annual Giving is introducing text giving, a brand new technology that allows seniors to make a gift on their smartphone.

The process works similar to carrier billed donations, but instead of the donations being added to your phone bill, donors charge their credits after filling out a secure mobile donation form. To make a text-to-give donation, seniors need simply to text the word SENIOR to the number 41444 on their smartphone. They will be texted back a link to a mobile donation form, where they can input their credit card information and have their gift processed through USC’s secure payment gateway. 

“Our seniors have so many things to check off on their to-do list leading up to commencement that we wanted to make sure making their Senior Gift wasn’t burdensome,” said James Gagnon, Associate Director of Annual Giving Programs. “Text-to-give provides our seniors the convenience of making their gift wherever they may be in a matter of seconds. Providing our very busy seniors with that flexibility and convenience was important to us.”

“The USC Class of 2014 Scholarship Fund for Seniors has struck a chord with our seniors. More seniors voted on the Senior Gift ballot this year than ever before, and the donation amounts we’ve seen have really reflected the passion this class has for supporting the university and in particular this scholarship fund. We typically ask our seniors to give their donation in honor of their graduation year ($20.14 for this year’s class), and while we’ve seen gifts below and at that amount, we’re seeing a tremendous amount of gifts ranging from $25-$100. We want our seniors to have the opportunity to donate whatever amount they feel comfortable with.”

USC Commencement via USC

The technology allows donors to designate their gift to a specific fund as well as indicate their gift is being made in honor or memory of an individual, options that have not only been unavailable to carried billed donations, but text-to-give as well. 

One of the biggest and most rewarding values of the Trojan Family is the act of giving back and paying it forward to the Trojans of today and tomorrow. After grabbing that diploma seniors will transition from students to alumni, the warriors in charge of protecting the success and esteem of the Trojan Family.

Each year, USC alums play their part by giving generous contributions that benefit the entire student body of USC.

With more than 60 percent of USC students on some form of financial aid, the Class of 2014 is in a position to strengthen the university in a meaningful, philanthropic way. Best of all, it just got easier.

Seniors can learn more about text-to-give donations for Senior Gift Senior SCend Off on Wednesday April 30, 2014 from 4:00pm – 7:00pm at Argue Plaza. (There’s free BBQ too!)

Reach Staff Reporter Faith Jessie here. Follow Faith on Twitter.