In many ways, an institution’s vibrancy can be measured by the strength of its annual giving programs, both in terms of overall financial commitments and in rate of participation. At Seton Hall, that includes the University Annual Fund, Pirate Blue, Seminary Darlington Annual Fund, Parents’ Fund and Law Annual Fund. By supporting faculty salaries, student scholarships, ongoing programs and promising new initiatives, donors to the annual funds help ensure that the University lives out its mission today and every day. The University appreciates the importance of these gifts and so we include Annual Giving in the $150 million goal of Ever Forward: The Seton Hall Sesquicentennial Campaign.

The generosity of alumni, parents and friends has helped Seton Hall evolve from a small, fledgling college into one of the oldest and largest diocesan Catholic universities in America. Annual Fund support enhances the Seton Hall experience, providing sophisticated, high-tech laboratory equipment, scholarships, new academic initiatives and a growing library collection to sustain the University’s commitment to remaining affordable. Today, the University Annual Fund is more important than ever before. As a private University devoted to teaching, Seton Hall cannot rely on government funding or research grants to fully support its programs. Rather, we look to the Seton Hall family – alumni, parents and friends – as our partners in the quest to expand the University’s margin of excellence for the future.

The Pirate Blue Athletic Fund is the driving force behind Seton Hall’s continued growth in athletics, providing more than 25 percent of the annual athletics operating budget. Pirate Blue donors are “the team behind the team,” helping generate new athletic scholarships, supporting facility upgrades and enhancing recruitment of talented student-athletes. With Pirate Blue support, Seton Hall is able to provide these hard-working, motivated young men and women with a quality educational experience. Seton Hall’s place as a founding member of the BIG EAST Conference is a permanent part of the University’s history, but Pirate Blue support ensures that Seton Hall remains a competitive Division I athletics program.

The Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology is the graduate school of theology at Seton Hall and the major seminary of the Archdiocese of Newark. It is the cornerstone of Seton Hall’s Catholic mission. The Seminary Darlington Annual Fund gifts provide students with field ministry assignments, guest lectures by renowned theologians and scholars, library resources and liturgical books, technology and facilities improvements, forms of continuing theological education and other enhancements critical to strong preparation for ministry and a life commitment to the Church.

Parents’ Fund donors recognize the value of investing beyond their child’s tuition. Parents’ contributions support and enhance academic support, student services, scholarships and financial aid, technology, campus facilities and faculty and student research. In fact, along with other University Annual Fund contributions, Parents’ Fund gifts help provide approximately 20 percent of the cost of a Seton Hall education. Parents’ Fund donors help keep tuition as affordable as possible, while advancing the significance of a Seton Hall degree.

The rigors of attending Seton Hall Law School are well-rewarded: the School boasts an 81 percent passage rate for first-time takers of the New Jersey State Bar Exam – well above the state average. In addition, Seton Hall Law graduates have a job placement rate of 96 percent within nine months of graduation. As with other schools at Seton Hall, tuition covers only part of the cost of educating a law school student. Generous Law Annual Fund contributions from alumni, friends, corporations and foundations help provide the innovative programs, enhanced campus facilities and scholarship resources that add up to a widely recognized and respectable law degree.

Annual Giving - A Final Word
Every gift – whether $25,000 or $25 – to any one of the five Seton Hall annual giving programs makes a difference. In addition to being tax deductible, your gift may also qualify for a “match” from your employer. Contact your human resources office to see if your company sponsors a matching gift program that can double, or even triple, the value of your support.