Signing “thank-you” letters, students will have the chance to give back to those who have donated millions to their college educations.

Philanthropy at Washington State (PAWS) will host the bi-annual event Cougars Give Thanks from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15 on the first floor of the CUB to give thanks to donors, PAWS Development Coordinator Cody Wilson said.

The program, which is in its second year, is sponsored by the Washington State Foundation in partnership with PAWS.

“The idea of it is to thank our donors and spread awareness,” Wilson said. “Only scholarship donors receive ‘thank-you’ cards, but it’s really a program around philanthropy and showing students how important private sponsorship is to WSU.”

He said the thank-you cards are a stewardship to the campaign to thank the scholarship donors. He said 4,127 WSU students currently receive scholarships.

Tangi Brantley, PAWS marketing and communication chair, said visibility is an important part of the PAWS program. Brantley said she knew little about where WSU received its revenue before getting involved with PAWS.

“I think a lot of students aren’t aware and that we forget that giving a simple thank you goes a long way,” she said. “We are living comfortably here, and we forget to stop and think about how much we are given.”

Wilson said the program is an attempt to boost publicity as PAWS is a relatively new organization on campus.

The goal is to build the program and create more meaningful events that involve bringing in speakers to talk about the importance of giving back, he said.

Cougars Give Thanks gives students an opportunity to sign thank-you cards for private scholarship donors and receive a sweet treat in return, Wilson said.

The Washington State Foundation started a $1 billion campaign in 2006 to raise private funds for WSU. It is scheduled to last until 2015.

Wilson said the university receives donations from many businesses and alumni from WSU and other universities. WSU has 52,400 donors, including Bill Gates, who donated $25 million, and Paul G. Allen, who donated $26 million.

“Without private support and donation, WSU could not exist on government funds,” Wilson said. “And tuition is not nearly enough.”

Wilson said in the last fiscal year the campaign raised $109 million of the $1 billion goal. In total it has raised nearly $855 million.

Brantley said she is confident the foundation will reach its goal by 2015.