April is Employee Giving Month!!

Employee giving happens throughout the year at the University of Maine. The month of April, also Maine Day of Giving month, is a special time to make your gift because it counts in BOTH campaigns! You will also receive the annual Maine Day of Giving thank you gift with a donation of $25 or more.

New employee donors will also recieve an employee giving pin.

About Employee Giving

The University of Maine Employee Giving Campaign is part of the UMaine Annual Fund and includes all annual gifts from the University of Maine, the University of Maine Foundation, the University of Maine Alumni Association, the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation, Maine 4-H Foundation employees, retirees, and their family members.

Gift planning

Many faculty and staff have set up planned gifts with the University of Maine Foundation. Our planned giving officers can talk to you about simple options that meet your financial situation and philanthropic wishes.

Every day, UMaine employees give back by going “above and beyond” in their daily work, helping our students, keeping our campus safe and beautiful, serving Maine citizens, and conducting research that changes lives and the world we live in.

Many current and retired employees take their dedication even further by making philanthropic contributions to UMaine.

All donors will receive a special pin designating them as an employee donor. Most importantly, donors will know that they have made a difference in the lives of others as part of the University of Maine family.

Many donors choose to remain anonymous; their gifts are not publicized in any way.

Employee donors are also eligible for UMaine’s giving societies based on their annual, major, and planned gifts. Currently, many employees are members of the UMaine President’s Club.

What to support

Many employees choose to support their own departments. Others give to a unit that means the most to them. This translates into support for colleges, Fogler Library, athletics, Student Life, the performing and visual arts, student financial aid, the university’s research programs, and more. Many gifts address needs in Orono; other gifts support international research, student service, and engagement in and well beyond Maine communities, Cooperative Extension offices across our state, 4-H Camps and Learning Centers, and programs associated with the Darling Marine Center in Walpole and the Hutchinson Center in Belfast. Many employees choose to support more than one area of campus. This list of campus gift allocations can be used to determine where you might like to designate your gift.

Honorary & Memorial gifts

Many employees make gifts to honor colleagues, family members, or other loved ones who have retired or celebrated another milestone in their career. Similarly, family members and friends make gifts to honor or in memory of UMaine employees. Some even choose to endow and name a fund, ensuring that the employee’s legacy will last for future generations.

Every Gift Matters

Gifts from employees range from modest to substantial, touching virtually every aspect of our university. Your gift of any amount lets current and prospective donors know how much our employees care about UMaine and its mission. The generosity of employees also nurtures a culture of philanthropy on campus, inspiring future alumni to support UMaine.

Alumni, private foundations and other donors consider the (giving) participation rate of UMaine employees when making their gifts and grants.

How to Give

Making a gift is simple. An increasing number of donors are choosing the make monthly gifts by credit card, using this online giving site. If you are a retired employee, you can make your gift by check or with a credit card.

Current and retired employees alike may wish to consider the tax benefits of making a gift through an IRA distribution.

Make a gift through UMaine payroll deduction.

Make a credit card gift.

Make a gift by check.

The United Way Campaign: Important but Different

Thank you for donating to the United Way. The Employee Giving Campaign, however, benefits UMaine directly. Many donors choose to support both campaigns.

UMaine Black Bear License Plate

Over $1 million dollars has been raised for UMaine scholarships through fees collected by the State of Maine when people purchase a Black Bear license plate. The University of Maine Foundation directs a voucher program which pays for the first year of a new plate for UMaine (and partner) employees and incoming new students from Maine. Contact the UMaine Foundation for more information.

Ways to Give

Employee Donors Really Do Make A Difference!

Since we began recording gifts in our donor recognition database, employee donors have
given more than $37 million to UMaine!

FY26 Employee Giving Snapshot

$2,205,441 in private support from these donors made a difference at UMaine

1,632 gifts and/or pledge payments came from UMaine employee donors

379 different allocations were supported with employee giving

570 employee donors made gifts to UMaine

224 are in the President’s Club with giving of at least $1,000/year

94 are Charles F. Allen Legacy Society members because of their planned gifts

135 are members of the Stillwater Society with lifetime giving of $25,000+