The Sterling Fund benefits from gifts of any size.
ย Sterling is equal parts cause and college
Whereas alumni and family members comprise the vast majority of the donor population at other colleges, Sterling College is fortunate to draw support from both its existing community and from people and organizations whose only tie to the College is a strong belief in what we do.
The Sterling Fund
This fund is the lifeblood of Sterling College and the most direct way you can fund financial aid, instruction, and the salaries and benefits of our committed faculty and staff.
Why give to the Sterling Fund?
- Because nearly 100% of Sterling College students receive some sort of financial aid from the College, your support could be what makes a college education accessible to a deserving student.
- Because experiential education requires axes, snowshoes, and airfare. Your gift helps Sterling students get out into the world.
- Because our faculty have chosen to follow their passions, and modeling that behavior encourages our students to do the same. Your gift to the Sterling Fund helps us attract and retain the best faculty possible.
Major Giving
Major Giving transforms the Sterling College campus, takes an initiative to a new level, or catalyzes the realization of a student or faculty memberโs dream. Major gifts touch the life of every College student, directly or indirectly, and interweave the donorโs life with the history of the College. Recent major gifts to Sterling College have included:
- The Alfond Draft Horse Barn. A gift from Deborah Alfond โ13 and her family provided the College with a beautiful, state-of-the-art draft horse barn to support our Draft Horse program and majors in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems.
- The Behrend Admissions Center. The generosity of one of Sterlingโs most stalwart supporters, David Behrend โ60, enabled the creation of an admissions office complex that will provide a warm welcome to prospective Sterling College students.
- The Sterling Fund $1 Million Challenge. An anonymous donor helped launch the Nourish the Roots comprehensive campaign with a $1million pledge to match gifts to the Sterling Fund in the fall of 2014.
To learn more about the Collegeโs major gift needs or explore Sterling’s priorities, contact Christina Goodwin at 802-793-7443 or [email protected]
Planned Giving
The Margaret Sterling Society recognizes individuals and families who have included Sterling in their estate plans by making a planned gift to Sterling. Margaret Sterling Society members provide a needed foundation of future support for the College through their wills, retirement plans, or life insurance policies, often lessening their tax burdens in the process.
Members of the Margaret Sterling Society can designate their planned gift any way they choose: in support of the annual fund, towards financial aid or for a specific scholarship, or for addition to Sterlingโs endowment.
To learn more about joining the Margaret Sterling Society, please contact Micki Martin, Director of Advancement Services, at 802-586-7711 x101 or [email protected]
Gift Acceptance Policy
Sterling College solicits and accepts gifts that are consistent with its mission and that support its core programs, as well as special projects.
Donations and other forms of support will generally be accepted from individuals, partnerships, corporations, foundations, government agencies, or other entities.
In the course of its regular fundraising activities, Sterling College will accept donations of money, real property, personal property, stock, and in-kind services.
Sterling College encourages prospective donors to seek the assistance of personal, legal, and financial advisors in matters relating to their gifts, including the resulting tax and estate planning consequences.
