<p>Here’s how I look at it. On the one hand, you could say they should wait until your kid graduates to ask for donations. But on the other hand, private universities need to raise funds for their endowments and for scholarships and other things as tuition alone doesn’t meet all their expenses. Parents are good people to ask as they have a connection to the university and some caring about it. Many parents cannot donate above and beyond tuition while their kids are enrolled and some can’t even after that as they are still paying off loans for the tuition. But some parents can afford it. These fundraising campaigns and events do work or the colleges would not go to the trouble to do them. People who make charitable contributions have choices as to where they will donate and for many, they feel an affinity to either their alma mater or their kids’ colleges. It is entirely understandable, in my view, for colleges to tap this group of people to make donations. It is the parents’ choice whether or not to donate or to attend a fundraising event. But those who attend the university benefit from these donations since it partly funds the schools beyond the tuition payments. And some, like my kids, also benefit from scholarships. I get solicitations almost every day on my phone and by mail for all sorts of things. Some may prefer to donate to a college that their kids attend rather than some other organization that hits them up. </p>
<p>In sum, I understand why private colleges fundraise, why they solicit parents as one source of interested parties, and also am grateful to those who can and do donate.</p>