This is the gist of a new fundraising campaign at the UW-Madison School of Business which asks undergraduate business majors to open their wallets before they graduate this weekend, and in some cases, get a job.

Such campaigns are relatively common at private universities and in master's degree programs, but this would be the first of its kind for undergrads at UW-Madison.

School of Business Dean Mike Knetter said he wants to institute a culture of giving in Badgers before they leave Grainger Hall. The strategy underlines the increasing reliance of public universities on private money.

But skeptics might wonder why the school needs more money, especially after a high-profile $85 million no-name gift this fall and a tuition hike of $1,000 per year for business majors.

"Some people would say, geez, you're already forcing them to pay $1,000 more a year and now you're asking them to make a gift," Knetter said. "That seems on the face of it a little bit crazy. But that's what the world is now."

The campaign, called Make A Statement, may have been the brainchild of the administration, but it is being carried out by students. Business majors called and e-mailed all graduating seniors and asked them to pledge a donation, no matter how small, to be paid some time in the next year. The campaign met its participation goal of 20 percent and exceeded it, with 152 students making a pledge and raising a total of $10,822.

A similar program has been conducted by the MBA program with great success. Last year, 99 percent of the graduates pledged to donate. In its fourth year, the campaign has raised $155,000 so far this year.

Other campaigns aimed at UW-Madison undergraduates have been less focused. The University of Wisconsin Foundation annually sends letters to graduating seniors asking for money with a soft sell. Last year's campaign only brought in $1,800.

"The whole goal is to send a message to the alumni that the students really care about the school and the future of it," said Jake Martin, a member of the student committee running the business school campaign. "The goal is not to raise a huge sum of money. The goal is participation."

The giving rate for UW-Madison Business School alumni is currently around 3 percent, while alumni at some competing business schools give at a rate of around 20 percent.

"Why is it that a person who went to Dartmouth and paid an arm and a leg feels compelled to give them money for the rest of their life?" Knetter asked. "And someone who went here and didn't pay much at all, but went to a university that can create exactly the same opportunities, because its quality is that good, feels like I don't have to give them anything?"

Private donations are increasingly driving major projects at the school. Seventy-five percent of the cost of a new addition onto the business school's Grainger Hall is funded through private gifts. The school relies on tax money, tuition and unrestricted gifts to pay for educational programs, Knetter said.

Students conducting the campaign admit getting strapped-for-cash college students to donate has been challenging.

"When we're initially asking for students to make donations, we get a negative response," Martin said. He said students ask: "Why should we be giving the school more money? We're already paying higher tuition. What's in it for me?"

The majority of business majors have jobs lined up before they graduate, said Assistant Dean Steve Schroeder, which may make the prospect of giving more palatable. The average starting salary for business majors is around $50,000.

Christina Maniaci, a graduating senior, said she understands the reasoning behind the campaign but won't be donating this year.

"I don't have any money to give," she said.