Giving to BU

Every gift to the University creates opportunity for our students to make their Bishop’s experience the most meaningful it can be.  

Our alumni and friends transform the lives of our students by believing in them and supporting them along their journeys. Gifts to all designations at BU remind students that there is a supportive community, invested in their success throughout their time on campus and beyond. 

With your help, Bishop’s will continue to offer a top-notch undergraduate experience to students for generations to come. Start thinking about how you would like to make a difference today. 

WAYS TO GIVE

Online 

Make your gift online through our secure server

Phone 

Call the Alumni Relations & Philanthropy office at 819-822-9600 ext. 2660 or toll-free at 1-866-822-5210. 

Mail 

Mail in your donation card or cheque payable to the Bishop’s University Foundation to: 

Alumni Relations and Philanthropy Office
2600 College Street 
Sherbrooke, QC 
J1M 1Z7 

Monthly Giving Program 

Monthly Donors are a special group of loyal and committed supporters who invest in the future of Bishop’s University through automatic pre-authorized monthly contributions from their chequing account or credit card. Monthly gifts reduce costs for postage, paper and printing. By spreading your donations over the course of the year, they can also enable you to give more. 

Set up monthly gifts 

Memorial Giving 

A memorial donation is a thoughtful way to remember someone and pay tribute to their life and achievements. A personalized condolence card will inform the next-of-kin of the person being remembered of your thoughtful gesture, without reference to the size of your gift. As the donor, you will receive a tax-receipt for the full amount of the contribution. 

Make a memorial gift 

Tribute Giving 

Tribute giving is a wonderful and unique way to honour someone in your life. Tribute donations can be made to celebrate or remember all of life’s special events and milestones: 

• Births and birthdays 
• Weddings and anniversaries 
• Graduations and retirements 
• Mother’s Day or Father’s Day 
• Get well, good luck, best wishes, congratulations 

• Simply saying “thank you” 

A personalized card will be sent to the person you are honouring, without reference to the size of the gift. As the donor, you will receive a tax receipt for the full amount of the contribution. 

Make a donation in honour of someone important to you 

Staff and Faculty Payroll Donations 

Making a gift to Bishop’s through scheduled payroll deductions is very convenient. To set up your pledge, print and fill out this form and send it to your colleagues in Advancement at Griffin House – 3 Harrold Drive. Better yet, take a moment to come and say hello and drop it off in person, we’d love to chat about your giving and the many exciting things happening across campus. 

Payroll deduction pledge PDF form 

Matching Gifts 

Double your gift to Bishop’s in a few easy steps! Many companies will match employee and retiree donations to an eligible charity. You can check with your HR department to see if they will match your gift to the Bishop’s University Foundation. In most cases of a match, you will have to fill out a form and mail it with or following your donation. Bishop’s will complete the form and return it to your company. A matching gift will then be mailed to Bishop’s. Thank you so much for your support! 

Endowment Funds 

An endowment is a gift that keeps on giving. It is a fund that is set aside and invested, to generate funds in perpetuity for an area that is important to you. The capital of an endowment is always left intact, and only the earnings are spent. 

To establish a new named endowment, a donation of $25,000 or more is suggested. This can be paid over time. You can name it in honour of someone close to you or secure your personal legacy. You can also support an existing endowment. In fact, there are already more than 240 endowments at Bishop’s University that support areas as diverse as scholarships, athletics, fine arts, music, physics and much more.

Gifts of Securities 

Donating publicly traded stock and securities directly to Bishop’s University is a tax-smart way to support our students. You will receive a tax receipt for the full appreciated value of the donated securities on the day they were received by Bishop’s, and you will not have to pay capital gains tax. 

Conversely, if you cash in the securities yourself with a view of donating the proceeds, 50% of the gain will be taxable. In other words, it is more advantageous to transfer stock directly to Bishop’s than to cash it and make a donation. You and your broker can electronically transfer these types of gifts electronically into the Bishop’s account by using our Gift of Securities online form. 

Make a gift of securities PDF form 

Major Gifts 

Typically donations of $25,000 or more, major gifts allow Bishop’s to support and expand its current programming and explore new opportunities. 

Most major gifts are directed to an area of high importance to a donor. They establish endowments for student scholarships or provide challenging opportunities for students to explore the world around them through internships and other extra-curricular opportunities. They also help build new facilities or revitalize existing ones. 

While we appreciate every single donation we receive, we could not be the University we are today without the support of our major donors who want to invest in the quality education that Bishop’s University provides. 

Set up a Major Gift 

Gifts from the U.S.A. 

You do not have to live in Canada to support Bishop’s. Under the Canada-United States Income Tax Convention, US citizens are entitled to a charitable deduction for gifts made during their lifetime, provided they or a member of their family (spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, or siblings) are or have been, enrolled at the University. Donations from citizens of the United States may be made directly to Bishop’s either by mail or by making a secure online gift. 

Make a donation from the USA 

Estate & Legacy Giving 

Your support can have an immediate and a lasting impact on students. There are many ways that you can help support Bishop’s University, making a difference in a way that means the most to you. Please visit our Estate & Legacy Giving page to learn more about making your donation through shares, bequests, life insurance and retirement plan assets. 

Estate & Legacy Giving brochure (PDF) 

Make an Estate or Legacy Gift PDF form (PDF) 

Donations of Aeroplan Miles 

You can support student travel by donating your Aeroplan Miles through the Aeroplan Member donation program. By donating your Miles, you will offset the costs of academic and extracurricular travel for Bishop’s students. 

Examples of projects that could be supported through donated Aeroplan Miles include: 

• The BU study abroad program 
• Business case competitions 
• Hands-on learning and research in Canada and around the world
• Athletics competitions  

Help us make it possible to create outstanding experiences outside the classroom. 

Donate your Aeroplan Miles 

The Bishop’s Community, including the Alumni Relations and Philanthropy Office, the faculty, staff, and especially the students, of today and of tomorrow, thanks you deeply for your generosity. You are making a difference.  

See our donor list 

See our in memoriam donors list 

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