Gifts Come in All Kinds of Packages
The end of the year is traditionally known, in the nonprofit space, as an incredibly busy time as people elevate their giving in the last few months of any calendar year. And it’s no surprise that philanthropic gifts come to nonprofits in interesting and sometimes crazy ways. But nothing seems to top what I read recently about a gift that took 15 months to recognize, realize, open, and appreciate.
A series of articles across the media spectrum shared the story about physics professor Vinod Menon, who is a faculty member at the City University of New York. Due to the Pandemic, he hadn’t been to his office all that much as most classroom instruction was being done remotely. One day in September he found a box in his office that was addressed to him. No return information. Frankly, it was a little strange. Upon opening it he found nearly $180,000 in cash--- stacks of $50 and $100 bills. Accompanying the cash was an unsigned letter from a graduate from long ago who had majored in physics and mathematics. The gift, as the note indicated, was to help CCNY be more available and open to students who might be interested in science.
What’s even more amazing about the gift is it was mailed in November 2020. It appears as though it sat on the floor in the mailroom for nearly eight months - or at least some amount of time there - plus time in the professor’s office, before being discovered.
I love the story for two reasons. One is that gifts with anonymity are done because a person wants to make a difference. They don’t want it to be about them. They want it to be about the vision, the direction, and the intent that the gift can accomplish. The second is just the interesting way the gift was mailed - for just short of $91 in postage from Pensacola, Florida to New York - and it wasn’t even discovered for nearly 9 months.
While CCNY couldn’t figure out who made the gift, didn’t have information on a donor or alum in the area, or figure out where the money came from, it’s a reminder that people make gifts for all kinds of reasons. The important thing is to find out why one wants to make the gift and what the gift can do to make a difference. There are more people like this anonymous donor, but they’re not as creative nor as driven to make a gift unless we help them see the possibilities and make it easy for them.
