MSU Shares is Michigan State University’s annual opportunity to support local charities that provide services to students and residents right in our own community. Donations from faculty, staff and students support charities that serve more than 120,000 people annually in Mid-Michigan. With the assistance of United Way of South Central Michigan, employee volunteers from across campus seek donations from their peers and help spread awareness of this annual campaign.

Yes. The MSU Shares charitable campaign serves a very different purpose than the “Uncommon Will, Far Better World” campaign through University Advancement...and both are important!

• The MSU Shares campaign provides donations to local charities and is organized by employee volunteers. People and students in our own community often need help beyond what their own paycheck can provide and local charities are available to them because of donations like those made through MSU Shares.
• The Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign helps fund MSU facilities and projects, such as endowed chairs, building expansion and renovation, research support and even scholarships and fellowships. The Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign is organized by University Advancement.

The mission of MSU Shares is to support the many charitable causes in Mid-Michigan, especially charities close to or on campus that serve students and local residents.

MSU has raised millions of dollars over the last 20 years for local charities! While a charitable campaign has occurred for many decades, in 1991 a formal agreement between MSU and the Capital Area United Way was developed to create an annual process to give to many causes at once. This campaign is sanctioned and approved by the university.

There are several ways to contribute.  You can donate online through payroll deduction by following the link to MSU’s EBS Portal.  Or you can donate online using a credit card.  For both options see the links below.

• Donate by Credit Card
• EBS Portal
  • Online donation instructions

You can also write a check and mail in your check and pledge form.  A printable pledge form and the address to send your check are listed below.  Checks should be made out to United Way of South Central Michigan.

• Pledge Form
• MSU Retiree Pledge Form

Print, sign and mail your check and completed pledge form to:

Michigan State University
MSU Shares
Hannah Administration Building
426 Auditorium Rd, Room 110 
East Lansing, MI  48824

While we can’t provide personal tax advice, typically, donors who itemize on their federal tax return can deduct their contributions to the MSU Shares campaign as they are designated either to the United Way of South Central Michigan or to the non-profit charitable organization of their choice. Every organization listed in the campaign website qualifies as a tax-exempt organization under IRS guidelines. To receive the best advice based on your personal circumstances, we recommend that you consult your personal tax advisor.

MSU Shares is not an organization itself.  It is a volunteer-led initiative that is supported by Michigan State University.  MSU maintains a legal agreement with the United Way of South Central Michigan, which is a nonprofit based in Michigan and is eligible to accept charitable donations.

When you donate to a specific charity our United Way partners are responsible for taking in the contribution, assuring that every non-profit that has been chosen is in compliance with state and federal non-profit tax laws, and ensuring that the money gets to the right place.  Because there is some overhead required to complete this process, we have set a $50 minimum for donations to a specific charity.

If you designate to an organization, 85% goes directly to your chosen charity. A small amount of 15% is used by United Way to offset the cost of processing your pledge or donation, accounting for payments from MSU’s payroll deduction system, distributing the donated funds and supporting the United Way’s administrative team that does that work. This rate is well below the accepted national standard for charities, which is between 20-25%.   United Way of South Central Michigan is certified by the Michigan Better Business Bureau and has a four star rating (the highest available rating) from Charity Navigator.

Your donation will make a HUGE impact on lives in the categories of health/basic needs, education and financial stability for people in our community. Volunteers determine where these funds are invested using a strict grant process. Because United Way keeps track of the most significant current needs in our community, they guide volunteer panelists through a detailed process to determine which local programs have the best record of impacting lives. The programs that receive grants are required to report their successes and progress to United Way every six months or risk losing the balance of their grant.

Yes…and you are encouraged to donate to your local United Way if you prefer your gift to stay in your own community.

Any amount makes a different because our collective gifts last year totaled more than $200,000! Think of it this way, if every employee at MSU donated just $20 each year we would raise almost $300,000!

Download and print a pledge form:

• Pledge Form
• MSU Retiree Pledge Form

Then mail the form to:

United Way of South Central Michigan
300 Marshall Street, Suite 203
Lansing MI 48912

Please go to online instructions to make a pledge online.

You can donate to any official non-profit organization with a license to solicit issued by a state.

Remember, money donated through payroll deduction is sent in increments by MSU to the United Way of South Central Michigan – Capital Area. They disburse the donations to each organization after a certain amount is collected, or the total amount has been donated, to keep administrative costs low. This process can take up to 12 months or so if you donate small amounts from each paycheck.

The organization itself determines how to use those funds. We encourage you to research each organization carefully before and after you donate for their successes, annual reports, board of directors list, etc. When you give through United Way, they continuously monitor the programs that receive funding on your behalf.