The UND Alumni Association and Foundation have acted as one organization for some time.
But now, they’re hoping to make the relationship official.
The Alumni Association and Foundation are technically two separate legal entities, meaning they have to file separate tax forms, financial statements and hold separate board meetings. But by the end of June, they are hoping to become one organization.
“It just felt like we had redundancy and we weren’t as efficient as we could be,” said Laura Block, the chief financial officer for the UND Alumni Association and Foundation. “And there were some cost savings for the two entities to become one entity.”
Block said she didn’t have a figure pinned down for how much the move would save, but said filing tax returns and financial statements alone can cost a few thousand dollars.
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The Alumni Association began in 1889 with UND’s first graduating class, according to its website. The Foundation launched in an effort to raise funds for the university in the 1970s, Block said.
The activities of the organization won’t change with the merger, Block said.
The merger will be up for approval at the organization’s annual meeting June 13, and Block said they hope to become one legal entity at the turn of the fiscal year on June 30.
