Re: endowments, really good post on why universities can't just tap into endowments for budget shortfalls:
https://medium.com/@myassa_62896/why-you-cant-just-use-the-e...
https://medium.com/@myassa_62896/why-you-cant-just-use-the-e...
Explain why direct donations cannot accomplish the same. I suspect that universities want endowment donations because they grow tax free.
If I was to donate 9 (or 10) figures to an institution, I would want to make sure it is used to support what I want it to support (cancer research, scholarships, libraries, etc), rather than be used as a general slush fund.
It's not entirely about what the organization wants, but also what the donators/sponsors want.
You can make that restricted donation outside of the endowment. I thought endowments were for the support of students, not research.