Washington University in St. Louis Society of Women Engineers

Donation Page

We are proud to be the only women’s group on campus dedicated to the advancement of female engineers. Currently, our chapter is seeking corporate donations or sponsorship for a variety of local, regional and national programs.

In the past year, SWE has hosted programs ranging from Women in Engineering Day, an all-day event that introduces high school girls in various forms of engineering, to the Big Sister/Little Sister program, pairing upperclassmen with incoming freshmen for mentoring purposes. Last year Danielle Forget, a SWE alumna received the Washington University in St. Louis Young Alumni Award. Furthermore, many of our alumni find jobs, internships and careers through the SWE network.

For the 2007-2008 academic year, SWE has planned some exciting events.  To educate our own women, we plan to take as many members as possible to the national SWE conference in Nashville, TN in October. This conference is an excellent opportunity to network with other female engineers, attend development workshops and participate in a career fair. In addition, we are committed to increasing outreach to the incoming freshman class by expanding the Big Sister/Little Sister program further into the semester. We also plan to become more involved in the community and are currently looking into working with Girl Scouts of America, the largest women’s-only organization in the United States. Additionally, with the appointment of a new female dean of engineering, SWE hopes to seize this opportunity and take an even more active and visible role on campus.

However, given the rising number of women enrolled in the engineering school, SWE requires additional funding. As of 2003, 28% of the entering freshman class was composed of female students, whereas the national average is approximately 18%. Recently, the SWE budget has been funded almost solely by our university’s Student Union funding. Since these funds are distributed among the entire student population, they are unable to sustain the expansion of our projects and programs. SWE is a 501c(3) organization, so any donations to our chapter are completely tax deductible. Thus, we are writing your company requesting any size of monetary donation. With certain monetary increments we are offering sponsorship of certain items or events.

We appreciate your company’s commitment to promoting and supporting women in engineering. Our chapter features female engineers from almost every background and walk of life. Every major offered by the engineering school is represented in our chapter of SWE. With these new programs, we fully intend to continue the tradition of excellence exemplified by both current SWE members and SWE alumni

The increments and sponsorships are as follows:

$100        Provide transportation to the National Conference in Nashville, TN by sponsoring gas for one driver and three passengers or sponsor a bi-weekly SWE meeting.

$250        Sponsor SWE T-Shirts. Your company’s name and logo will be featured on the back of at least one production line of SWE T-Shirts.

$500        Provide an opportunity for networking and mentoring by sponsoring a Big Sister/Little Sister event. Held mainly during the fall semester, these events allow Little Sisters to bond with their Big Sisters, along with other female engineers. In the past, we have gone bowling and to the City Museum.  Or sponsor a hotel room for four members attending National Conference.

$750        Sponsor “Dinner With the Dean”, a new event we are organizing, offering an informal dinner for Dean Mary Sansalone and SWE members.

$1000      Allow us to interact with the community by sponsoring an all-day event. All-day events include Women in Engineering Day and Girl Scout Badge Day. In the past, girls participating in these events were charged a ten dollar fee that went towards provision of meals, prizes and other necessities. This year, we plan to use corporate sponsorship as a means of defraying and possibly eliminating these costs. Your company’s name and logo will be featured on all literature pertaining to the event. 

Additionally, if you would like your donation earmarked for any specific item or event not listed above, we are more than happy to work with you.

Please make checks out to WU-SWE and mail to:

Office of Student Activities Attn: Society of Women Engineers

Washington University in St. Louis

Campus box 1128

One Brookings Dr.

Saint Louis, MO 63105

Thank you for supporting our SWE chapter! If you have any questions, feel free to email our treasurer, Rachel Goldfeder, at rlg2@cec.wustl.edu, or Lisa Skultety, our president, at lms3@cec.wustl.edu. And be sure to take a look at our Event Photos page to see your donations in action.