Thanks to committed supporters, NC State’s annual Day of Giving was once again a success. At the close of the day, real-time numbers showed $23,060,336 from a record 14,533 gifts that will help create a bold new chapter for the university.
Donors from 99 counties in North Carolina, all 50 states and 18 countries were part of this year’s effort — the fourth for the university.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what this day has become for NC State,” Chancellor Randy Woodson said. “If you think about what each one of these gifts means, it’s an individual engaging with the university as an important part of the Pack — maybe for the first time.”
The day kicked off at midnight on March 23 with the generosity of NC State alumni and friends and a flurry of social media activity. Students from the Department of Music — last year’s #GivingPack Hashtag Challenge Match champions — showed up early and successfully defended their title with posts, photos and videos about the friendship, experiences and leadership they gained from participating in NC State’s music programs.
Social media challenges continued throughout the day, including throwback photos and pets showing up in their NC State finest. From cows responding to a saxophone version of the “Red and White Song” to a music video remix of the beloved tune from the African American Cultural Center, these Day of Giving challenges helped show the breadth of the experiences that unite the Wolfpack and impact that carries far beyond campus.
“Day of Giving is really about connections,” said Brian Sischo, vice chancellor for university advancement. “And these connections are one of the reasons NC State continues to lead in growth of donors giving back.”
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences finished the day in first place in the dollars raised leaderboard with $3,685,315, while the Division of Academic and Student Affairs topped the participation leaderboard with 1,808 gifts. More than a third of those gifts will support students’ basic needs via Feed the Pack Food Pantry, the Student Emergency Fund and the PACK Housing Scholarship.
The NC State Alumni Association led the University Priorities leaderboard — comprising funds and programs across campus — with 663 gifts, while the Office for Faculty Excellence saw the greatest percentage growth in gift totals from previous Days of Giving on the Power Your Pack leaderboard.
“We are so filled with gratitude,” Sischo said of the thousands of alumni, parents, students, friends, faculty and staff that participated. He noted that the ongoing support of the Wolfpack community helps NC State drive forward in meaningful ways.
Since Day of Giving first launched in 2019, the event has offered ways to share new initiatives with the NC State community. In 2020, publicity for the newly created Extraordinary Opportunity Scholarship Initiative inspired enough gifts to award the first 31 scholarships the following spring. Donors continued to provide significant support to EOSI throughout the day this year, and the Centennial Campus Art Project also received a big boost from Day of Giving commitments.
“[Susan Woodson] and I are very passionate about creating a public art space for our students. Centennial Campus is a unique place, and we’re looking to infuse it with creative vitality,” Woodson said. On Day of Giving, several donors stepped forward with commitments, and one donor couple provided a capstone gift that completed funding for the first phase of the project.
Other giving highlights include an anonymous challenge match from a Wilson College of Textiles alum that created a new Centennial Scholarship endowment and the 10th co-named endowment for the Park Scholarships program.
Before the day even started, several colleges, units and programs already found themselves winners of bonuses — which come from a pool of unrestricted university enhancement funds. The College of Natural Resources won their third Day of Giving Video Share Challenge, and the College of Education and NC State Global were the winners of the Window in the Wolfpack Challenge, which involved participants sharing photos and videos of where their NC State stories have taken them using a special card with a cutout wolf.
“I am always excited on Day of Giving because of the support that comes our way and because of the engagement of alumni and friends that care so deeply about NC State,” said Sischo.
That engagement extended to the student body. In addition to passionate participation in the #GivingPack Hashtag Challenge Match, more than 700 students came out to a special Day of Giving event in Talley Student Union to learn about philanthropy, craft social media posts, make gifts to areas of their choosing and vote on a winning fund for a special student challenge.
“Day of Giving energizes all of us and reminds us of the importance of what we do as a university — and why we do it,” Woodson said.
“At the end of the day, #GivingPack and Day of Giving are about coming together as a united Wolfpack. We’re so grateful for the commitment of all the alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students who joined us today. It truly is transformational.”
Visit dayofgiving.ncsu.edu for a full list of leaderboard and challenge winners.
This post was originally published in Giving News.
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