On March 24, NC State will resume its regularly scheduled spring Day of Giving, a 24-hour event that demonstrates the collaborative power of philanthropy — and Wolfpack spirit.
Last year’s Day of Giving, which was postponed from March to September, focused primarily on providing pandemic-related emergency support, increasing need-based scholarships and strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion programming. It raised more than $23 million — nearly a $10 million increase from the inaugural effort in March 2019.
The upcoming Day of Giving will continue to highlight those priorities while featuring more funds across campus, such as the many programs comprising the Division of Academic and Student Affairs.
While NC State’s historic Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign achieved its $1.6 billion goal in November 2019, ongoing fundraising efforts like Day of Giving allow the university to continue to lead in recruiting, retaining and supporting students, faculty, researchers and staff. Annual gifts of all amounts make an immediate difference every academic year, strengthening existing resources, creating new opportunities and ensuring the university can respond quickly in times of challenge and change.
“We are so grateful for the extraordinary response we have received previously from the Wolfpack community on Day of Giving,” said Brian C. Sischo, vice chancellor for University Advancement. “This is a great opportunity to get involved in supporting NC State and the Campaign, and I look forward to seeing what we will accomplish together.”
Because of leaderboard competitions, which allow colleges and programs to compete for a share of bonus funds based on total gifts received, dollars raised or percent increase of gifts from last year, every gift is amplified. The bonus pool comes from funds specifically designated for university enhancement.
Since Day of Giving launched, gifts of all sizes have combined to expand opportunities and enhance experiences. Some highlights include:
- The College of Veterinary Medicine has increased scholarship support by 10% and created an endowment for purchasing cutting-edge medical equipment such as a new dialysis machines and diagnostic tools that help treat animals in distress;
- The College of Education and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation provided more than 100,000 educators and caregivers with educational resources in response to the pandemic;
- The College of Natural Resources invested in ThingLink, an educational platform that strengthens recruitment by providing virtual experiences for potential students; and
- The Park Scholarships program endowed the One Park, One Pack fund to further diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Thanks in large part to Day of Giving donors, this semester also saw 31 students — hailing from every college at NC State — receive the first-ever Extraordinary Opportunity Scholarship Initiative awards. This need-based scholarship program was formally launched in February 2020 as extension of the university’s commitment to keeping its promise of access for students across the state.
“We could not be more excited to see the Extraordinary Opportunity Scholarship Initiative launch so successfully,” Sischo said. “EOSI shows how donors at every level make a difference, from our two donors who seeded our matching gift endowment to our annual donors providing immediate-use support. This year’s Day of Giving will continue to help us meet our students’ ongoing financial needs.”
Day of Giving offers plenty of opportunities to support students and bolster initiatives across campus, both through making gifts and through sharing NC State stories, memories and, of course, photos of Wolfpack pets throughout the day during hourly social media challenges. Challenge winners can designate the college, program or fund of their choice to receive resulting bonus funds.
In addition to social media challenges, this year’s Day of Giving will again offer the hashtag challenge match, which allows supporters who might be unable to make a financial gift at this time to make an impact. Twitter users can share what they love about NC State, tag the college or program they want to support and use #GivingPack to earn $10 for the area tagged.
A full list of pre-day, hourly and all-day challenges and rules is available on the Day of Giving website. Ahead of the Wednesday event, supporters can help spread the word by updating their social media profiles with Day of Giving images and banners.
Day of Giving begins at midnight Eastern Daylight Time on March 24, and ends at 11:59 p.m. — with a last-gift challenge to close out the day. To add a save-the-date reminder to your calendar or learn more about the day, visit dayofgiving.ncsu.edu.
- Categories:
