Giving to WSB
Being a Business Badger is about working together, helping each other, and carving out a future where generations of Wisconsin School of Business students can succeed and make a positive impact in their careers.
Advance our mission
Philanthropic support is vital to sustaining WSB’s place as a leading business school, and helps us build upon the foundation of experiences that made your time at WSB so special.
Work together for greater good
No matter the size, your gift to the Wisconsin School of Business, combined with the contributions of thousands of alumni and friends, moves our mission forward.
Create life-changing experiences
With your support, we can create life-changing experiences for our students that foster creativity and leadership in the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators.
Make a Difference for the Next Generation of Business Badgers
Wisconsin School of Business (WSB) Fund
The WSB Fund gives the School resources to invest in top priorities, ensuring we remain competitive and innovative. Gifts support transformational student experiences, professional development efforts, experiential learning projects, and international trips.
The WSB Fund also helps our community connect with business leaders and strengthens our network of Business Badgers.
Help Build a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive WSB
Being a leading business school means investing in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environment, where students of all backgrounds can learn, excel, and grow into the next generation of business leaders. At WSB, we empower people of all backgrounds to thrive in business and make businesses thrive.
Scholarships
Scholarships at the graduate and undergraduate levels help WSB remain competitive and accessible to highly qualified students of all backgrounds. This valuable support can recognize merit and can alleviate reliance on loans, making a business education possible for students regardless of their financial situation. Scholarships can be endowed or awarded immediately to provide assistance for students.
The Venture Fund
The Venture Fund provides seed funding for projects critical to the School’s mission. Gifts to the Venture Fund help create new learning experiences for students, increase accessibility and customization in our growing educational portfolio, and diversify and expand the School’s ability to generate revenue. Donors to the Venture Fund make a minimum philanthropic investment of $100,000.
Have Questions About Making a Gift?
Please contact Jerad Meyer to discuss planned giving, the Venture Fund, or any general questions about giving to the Wisconsin School of Business.
phone: +1 608-515-3055
email: jerad.meyer@supportuw.org
See All the Ways You Can Give to WSB
Learn how to make your gift today or plan for future giving.
Did you know many companies offer a matching-gift program to their employees and their family members?
Make an Impact
Check out the Donor Digest to learn how gifts to the WSB fund make a big impact.
The Wisconsin School of Business (WSB) Fund ensures that the school is able to invest in top priorities and remain competitive and innovative. Gifts support transformational student experiences, professional development opportunities, experiential learning projects, and allow for investments in both immediate and long-term strategic goals.
Giving Community
Working together to help tomorrow’s leaders reach their potential
Generous donors like you come together to make an impact, helping us build more opportunities to challenge, support, and inspire students to reach their greatest potential. Philanthropy helps protect the quality of students’ education, which strengthens our brand and continues to enhance the value of our degrees.
Every Donor Has a Story
Milo Pinkerton (MS ’79) studied real estate under the legendary James A. Graaskamp. After Pinkerton earned his graduate degree, he worked as a project director for a construction company that developed low-income housing and then held positions helping property owners restructure debt in the face of foreclosure. He left the corporate world in 1988 to set out on his own as a real estate developer. “The education I received opened so many doors for me,” says Pinketon. “I believe in the students coming up and am always thinking, ‘How can I help them?’”
Ross Freedman (BBA ’97) and Brad Schneider (BBA ’97) have launched two companies together, including Rightpoint, a global professional services firm with more than 90,000 employees. “After all these years in business together, we’re still close friends,” Schneider says. Freedman, Schneider, and Rightpoint made a joint gift to the Entrepreneurs Forward Fund. “If you really believe the School is the key ingredient to what made you successful, it’s important to support that for other people, too,” Freedman says.
Rachel Hyslop (BS ’98, MBA ’14) believes in having an attitude of gratitude. Having had several leadership roles at Springs Window Fashions, Hyslop credits her time at the Wisconsin School of Business with exposing her to new perspectives, diverse thinkers, and lifelong friendships. “When I think about charitable giving, it’s important to give back to the institution that helped me become who I am today,” says Hyslop. “It comes down to being someone who cares about other people and helping them achieve whatever their potential is.”
When the company he worked for went bankrupt, Todd Pilcher (MBA ’14) suddenly found himself faced with uncertainty in his career. In the face of this challenge, Todd was able to reinvent himself; he received a full scholarship to attend the Wisconsin Full-Time MBA Program. “From a giving standpoint, I think about helping one person who might be in an unfortunate position like I was,” he says. “My biggest drive is knowing that I can help alleviate other students’ stress and financial burden.”
Naming Gift
In fall 2007, the Wisconsin School of Business received a naming gift that came with no name. Innovative in the world of philanthropy, it was the gift of not a single donor, but of a group of 13 like-minded UW alumni. They joined together to create the Wisconsin Naming Partnership with an investment of $85 million to preserve the school’s name for at least 20 years. The Wisconsin Naming Partnership has now become the cornerstone and inspiration for our vision and strategy: by coming together, we can accomplish what others would not dare dream on their own.