There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding of how donations to colleges work in this thread. You absolutely can designate money to go to something specific, like scholarships, or a particular school (say engineering), or even something super specific like a particular student group or research lab (I would actually recommend against highly specific endowment gifts though). In many cases you can make a very meaningful impact by giving to your alma mater, either to shape the student experience, or even to advance causes traditionally associated with independent nonprofits (things like environmentalism, medical research, poverty, healthcare access, etc.). It doesn't by any means have to go to athletics or a "black box." And while I would suppose some budget shifting occurs, they are not twisting their mustaches and moving dollar for dollar money from scholarships to football.
The overall culture of a strong alumni network and community is almost always rooted in a culture of philanthropy. The idea that you will reach outward when in need, and give back when in abundance creates so much opportunity for all involved. The problem is that many schools are far from being at that point, but if you ever hope for your alma mater to get there, giving is a great way to start. Even at the many schools with nothing special academics, bloated executive staff and a sickening sports focus, there is so much potential to create powerful communities that have nothing to do with any of that. Might be worth consideration. Just my two cents.