Emily Koons Jae

Emily Koons Jae is Associate Director of the Fund for Academic Renewal, a project of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.


honor memory
More Than a Name: Honoring a Memory

Naming gifts aren’t always about self-gratification. They often honor the rich and generous lives of donors and individuals.

alumni davidson
Challenging times at Davidson College—and advice for alumni

The free speech battles at colleges and universities have been in the news for several years now. Davidson College is in the news for alumni forcing a reckoning about this issue at Davidson.


Time for nonprofits to develop DAF strategies

Donor-advised funds represent a growing portion of the charitable sector. Before we introduce new regulations, nonprofits should get more strategic about them.

Yale’s new planned giving policies signal trouble ahead for legacy givers

Universities should use gift agreements to preserve donor intent—and to best serve the interests of the university.


OSU donor exposes hidden endowment fees

Ohio State University is undergoing criticism from Jeffrey Moritz for drawing endowment fees out of his father’s $30 million endowment gift and failing to fulfill the gift’s intentions.

stewardship, donor intent, higher education
Stewardship in a time of crisis

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education fundraisers,like all fundraisers—are facing a difficult fundraising environment. Ignoring stewardship is the worst mistake you can make—even now.


Netflix CEO Gives Largest Gift Ever to Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Reed Hastings has pledged $120 millions to support HBCUs. This is the right way to support higher education right now.

donor intent philanthropy hillsdale university of missouri
Lessons on legacy giving from the Sherlock Hibbs endowment

On December 18th, 2019, the University of Missouri and Hillsdale College lawsuit concerning the Sherlock Hibbs endowment was decided. Hillsdale was awarded $4.6 million.


higher education philanthropy and donor intent
Two recommendations for savvier higher education giving

In light of the lawsuit between Hillsdale University and University of Missouri of the misuse of a donor’s gift, here are two recommendations on how better to secure donor intent.