More than 90 percent of Creighton students receive some form of financial assistance, such as scholarships, grants, work study and loans. Much of the scholarship money students receive is from donations. While it’s mostly alumni that donate the most amount of money to the school, students also contribute through “Invest in the Nest”.

Assistant Director of Student and Recent Alumni Giving Lizz Abrahams, is dedicated to getting students involved.

“We want students to know that they can help increase the amount of scholarship funds available by donating and making a difference today,” Abrahams said. “Creighton students are agents of change. We want them to recognize that a lot of smaller gifts add up quickly and can make a significant impact.”

The idea came from the Student Philanthropy Committee members, which runs the program “Invest in the Nest.” The group had a brainstorming session to brand its mission, and the students came up with the tagline. The Student Philanthropy Committee has been on campus since the fall of 2010, and the “Invest in the Nest” campaign started in the fall of 2011.

“Since our committee and our ‘Invest in the Nest’ campaign are so new, our goal this year was to increase the dollars raised over last year, focus on increasing participation among students, and increase the number of educational events,” Abrahams said. “We are very excited about our progress this year.”

So far during the 2011-2012 school year, 253 students have given a total of $2,273.33. In the 2010 -2011 school year, $1,825 was raised from 174 student donors.

“Our goal is to raise awareness about philanthropic support on campus. Creighton University is a non-profit organization that is worthy of our charitable gifts,” Abrahams said. “The committee seeks to educate the student body about the importance of collective giving as well.”

The logo for “Invest in the Nest” was also the idea of the students. The logo shows Billy the Bluejay sitting in a nest of words that the committee members described as the most important aspects of Creighton. Some of these words include: Magis, cura personalis, students, scholarships, men and women for and with others, student life, faculty and service.

“What better way to leave your legacy at Creighton than to teach others the importance of supporting their alma mater and building a bright future for our university?” Abrahams said.

All students can make a gift. The focus right now is on the undergraduate student body, but the Student Philanthropy Committee hopes to also reach out to the graduate and professional schools someday too.

“We are trying to model after universities that are already successfully running student philanthropy groups, such as the University of Pennsylvania or Hamilton College (PA),” Abrahams said.

Student activities on campus, Creighton Students Union, Program Board, Greek Life, service opportunities and many other activities are supported in part by donors. The money raised through the Creighton Fund provides current-use funds to support university programs and people.

“I think it is really important for students to understand why Creighton relies so heavily on outside support to keep it running,” Arts & Sciences senior and President of the Student Philanthropy Committee Kaitlyn Maloney said. “I think that if students begin giving to Creighton while still attending Creighton, they will begin a habit of giving that will hopefully never be broken. If we can get students to understand the importance of philanthropic support to Creighton, the chances of them giving as alumni will increase.”

There are fall and spring fundraising campaigns where students can give at tables in the Skutt Student Center with their Jaybucks, credit cards or cash. A chance to give online using Jaybucks or credit cards was offered for the first time this spring. The online option is still open until April 30.

“We want the student body to see that they can be donors and make a difference—today,” Abrahams said.