The Auburn University Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1960, and helps provide millions of dollars of funding to programs within the University.
According to the Auburn University Foundation website, the Auburn organization was "established to develop, support and enhance the educational interests and programs of Auburn University."
Michael Tullier, manager for the communications and marketing department, said the foundation takes gifts and donations sent from donors and gives it to an organization within the University.
"You can designate your gift in a number of ways," Tullier said. "You can make your donation to benefit the University, [or] you can make the donation benefit your own school."
The Auburn University Foundation board is made up of 24 donors who run the foundation.
"This isn't just an organization that helps Auburn employees, it helps Auburn volunteers as well," Tullier said. "Many of them give $1 million or even more than that during their lifetime."
The gifts given to the University are small and large based on the area the donors want the gifts to go to.
According to Tullier, many donors split their gifts between different educational or recreational programs at the University.
"They split their support between schools and programs they graduated from," Tullier said.
Jane Parker, president of the Auburn University Foundation, said the endowment for Auburn University, the Auburn University Foundation, the Auburn Alumni Association and Tigers Unlimited Foundation are all invested and managed through the foundation.
"The endowment provides support and perpetuity basically forever for the University," Parker said.
Parker said she wants people from Auburn to give back to the University once they have graduated and become alumni.
"We are looking for people with strong ties to Auburn," Parker said. "We want people who are invested in Auburn's success. We want people who care deeply about this institution."
Parker said the gifts received support the University's academic programs.
"They support scholarships for our students, they support professorships and chairs for our faculty and they support facilities," Parker said. "Last year, the endowments generated over $17 million in support for activities and programs across the University."
Raymond J. Harbert donated $40 million to the College of Business, which was one of the recent gifts donated to the Auburn University foundation.
"That was the largest gift Auburn University has ever received," Tullier said.
The foundation not only ensures gifts and donations are given to Auburn University, but also helps to manage the gifts given to the Auburn University-Montgomery campus.
AUM's campus has its own development board, which assists in getting donations to the area the donor wants to give to.
"Their work focuses on generating philanthropic support for Auburn University-Montgomery," Parker said.
Parker said the foundation continues to generate money from donors to further advance academic excellence at Auburn University.
"We are working every day on gifts that will have a positive impact on the University," Parker said.
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