Support the NAFSA ChallengeWe need your help.

International education faces very real policy challenges that have only grown steadily over the past few years. In the face of anti-immigrant rhetoric and proposals, NAFSA's role as the leading voice in connecting people and changing the world has never been more critical.  

Continuing proposed policy changes represent serious threats to our work ensuring the United States remains a welcoming nation - to immigrants, Dreamers, refugees, and international students and scholars. Our association continues to advocate for a welcoming world based on acceptance of all and the freedom to move easily across national borders for study, work, travel, scholarship and volunteerism. 

We need your support to continue and grow our efforts. Please consider a generous donation to the NAFSA Challenge.

With the assistance of supporters like you, NAFSA is able to serve as a bold voice fighting for a globally engaged United States. 

Highlights from the past year include:

  • NAFSA accepted administration of the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign. In this new role managing the campaign, NAFSA has committed to amplifying the message that international students and scholars are welcome in the United States.
  • NAFSA expanded the "Welcome to Succeed" campaign to further educate policymakers about the immense benefits of international students and scholars and how they create jobs, drive innovation, strengthen national security and become America's greatest foreign policy assets. 
  • NAFSA brought over 200 advocates to Capitol Hill representing 42 states and 130 districts to educate members of Congress on the importance of international education.
  • At the encouragement of NAFSA and our advocates, a bipartisan group of 14 Senators and Representatives tweeted out the value of international students and scholars, and an additional 3 Representatives submitted official statements for the record affirming the importance of welcoming international students.
  • NAFSA’s Government Connection program provides updates on the most pressing regulatory issues affecting your work.
  • NAFSA continues to build a coalition of support for the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act (S. 1198) which vigorously promotes study abroad opportunities. 
  • NAFSA made sure your voice was heard by agency officials through our liaison program and our monitoring of regulatory actions. Our online resources at www.nafsa.org/reginfo continue to be an important resource for the field.
  • NAFSA provided updates on pending legislation through our advocacy website, Connecting Our World. We sent urgent action requests throughout the year, which you and other advocates responded to eagerly and often.
  • NAFSA continued to champion full access to Cuba, refugee protection, and other legislation and policies that would improve our immigration system and remove obstacles to studying, living, and working in the United States.
  • NAFSA’s annual release of our International Student Economic Value Tool continues to be the standard for measuring the staggering impact international students and scholars have on the U.S. economy. NAFSA's analysis found that in the 2017-2018 academic year, international students contributed $39 billion and more than 455,000 jobs to the U.S. economy and U.S. higher education.

NAFSA’s successes are the result of the work you and your colleagues do every day in your communities to make your voices heard. It is also because of persistent push-back by NAFSA on policies and rhetoric that threaten the continued and vigorous growth of international education.

We need your financial support to make our work bolder and even more effective and impactful. Please consider supporting the NAFSA Challenge during these most important of times.

Donate Now

For more information about this campaign, as well as other opportunities to donate to NAFSA throughout the year, contact:

Gail Hochhauser
Senior Director, Organizational Advancement

View Our Fundraising Disclosure

Please contact Gail Hochhauser, Senior Director for Organizational Advancement if you would like to donate anonymously or, if:

  • Your company or organization will match your gift
  • You want to discuss making a pledge to support NAFSA through planned giving