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Frequently Asked Questions for Donors

Gift Matching

An easy way to double or even triple your donation is to find out if your company has a gift matching program. Such programs typically match all or a percentage of employee contributions to charitable organizations, making the employer a partner in employees’ personal philanthropy. Simply obtain a form from your employer’s personnel office and provide it with your contribution.

Do I get a receipt?

You will receive a credit card receipt after we process your payment. This receipt will be sent to the email that you submit when you donate online. If your donation is tax-deductible we will mail you a separate tax receipt for your records. Please be sure to keep a copy for tax purposes. If you select a recurring donation, you will be emailed a payment receipt each month when your donation is processed.

Is my donation secure?

Absolutely. The security and confidentiality of your information is our highest priority. We use industry-standard SSL (secure socket layer) technology to protect your information and provide a safe and secure environment for online donations. We will not sell, trade or share your personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations, and we will only share personal information if you have given us specific permission to do so.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

The Northern Alumni Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with the IRS, and your donation is fully tax-deductible within the guidelines of the U.S law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S taxes, please keep your donation receipt as your official record.

Tax-Exempt State

The Northern Alumni Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization affiliated with the Montana State University – Northern. All fundraising and investment activities of the Foundation are limited to the University.

The Alumni Foundation’s Tax ID number is: 81-0375335

The Alumni Foundation’s financial statements are audited annually by an independent audit firm in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States. You may view our tax documents as PDF links below.

Audited Financials

The files below are PDFs you may download.

Form 990

The files below are PDFs you may download.

Acceptance of any contribution, gift or grant is at the discretion of the MSU-Northern Foundation. The MSU-Northern Foundation will not accept any gift unless it can be used or expended consistently with the purpose and mission of the MSU-Northern Foundation.

No irrevocable gift, whether outright or life-income in character, will be accepted if under any reasonable set of circumstances the gift would jeopardize the donor’s financial security.

The MSU-Northern Foundation will refrain from providing advice about the tax or other treatment of gifts and will encourage donors to seek guidance from their own professional advisers to assist them in the process of making their donation.

The MSU-Northern Foundation will accept donations of cash or publicly traded securities. Gifts of in-kind services will be accepted at the discretion of the MSU-Northern Foundation.

Certain other gifts, real property, personal property, in-kind gifts, non-liquid securities, and contributions whose sources are not transparent or whose use is restricted in some manner, must be reviewed prior to acceptance due to the special obligations raised or liabilities they may pose for MSU-Northern Foundation.

The MSU-Northern Foundation will provide acknowledgments to donors meeting tax requirements for property received by the charity as a gift. However, except for gifts of cash and publicly traded securities, no value shall be ascribed to any receipt or other form of substantiation of a gift received by MSU-Northern Foundation.

The MSU-Northern Foundation will respect the intent of the donor relating to gifts for restricted purposes and those relating to the desire to remain anonymous. With respect to anonymous gifts, the MSU-Northern Foundation will restrict information about the donor to only those staff members with a need to know.

The MSU-Northern Foundation will not compensate, whether through commissions, finders’ fees, or other means, any third party for directing a gift or a donor to the MSU-Northern Foundation.

Nondiscrimination Statement

The MSU-Northern Foundation is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and abides by the same policy as noted in the Nondiscrimination Statement and Title IX Coordinator Notice of Montana State University – Northern. To read more about this notice, can click here.

We're here to help

Every gift is unique, and you likely have more specific questions to ask us. Call or email us to discuss your gift in detail. We are open Monday – Friday from 8am – 5pm. 

(406) 265-3711

alumni@msun.edu