The University of the Virgin Islands and UVI Trustee Donald Sussman are issuing a matching gift challenge to the V.I. community. In an effort to encourage charitable giving to the university by alumni and non-alumni, Sussman, a member of the university’s Board of Trustees, has stepped forward with a $100,000 matching gift challenge for individuals and companies who have not supported the university since Oct. 1, 2008. Sussman will match every alumni contribution dollar-for-dollar for all gifts in excess of $100. All non-alumni gifts, from businesses and individuals, in excess of $1,000 will be matched 50 cents per dollar donated. All gifts meeting these criteria will be matched up to $100,000. Sussman’s matching gift challenge runs until Sept. 30.
“The University of the Virgin Islands is elated to have continued commitment from Mr. Sussman,” said UVI’s Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. Henry Smith. “Mr. Sussman has donated substantial gifts in recent years, but this kind of challenge encourages the entire community to contribute to UVI,” Dr. Smith added. “Now is the time for donors to maximize their contribution to UVI, especially alumni, since alumni contributions will be matched 100 percent.”
Dr. Smith noted that donors can designate specific areas where they want their contributions to be used. Those areas include scholarships, the Foundation for the University of the Virgin Islands, the Reichhold Center for the Arts, academic divisions, research, UVI’s Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (UVI CELL) Center, summer enrichment programs and athletics. Gifts not designated will go toward the President’s Fund, an unrestricted fund which supports areas of greatest need.
To make a donation or to learn more about university initiatives, contact the UVI Institutional Advancement Office at 693-1040.
