The results of 2021 Mary Wash Giving Day are in – the UMW community donated 3,453 gifts, totaling nearly $600K.

On Mary Wash Giving Day, the volume of donations over 24 hours was equivalent to the quantity typically received by the University over several months. Now that all online, mailed and phoned-in contributions made on April 13 have been tallied, the day’s official results are in: 3,453 gifts—exceeding the day’s goal of 3,000—totaling $598,326.

Ardent support from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends of the University was especially heartening this year, following the cancellation of Giving Day in 2020. The Mary Washington community paid it forward in countless ways, sponsoring challenges and matches, spreading the word as Giving Day Ambassadors and posting photos of their pets decked out in Mary Washington bandannas. Read more.

Mary Wash Giving Day gifts will benefit students and programs across the University. A goal of 3,000 gifts has been set, and with a $5 gift minimum, participants are asked to help unlock additional challenge amounts by meeting participation benchmarks throughout the day.

More than $130,000 in challenges and matches are waiting to be unlocked on Mary Wash Giving Day, Tuesday, April 13. With a goal of 3,000 gifts in 24 hours to benefit students and programs across the University of Mary Washington, the emphasis on participation is reflected in this year’s theme of #AllTogetherUMW.

Several of the University’s most loyal supporters have committed to double (and sometimes triple) gifts made on April 13 at givingday.umw.edu. With a $5 gift minimum, all who love Mary Washington are asked to help unlock additional challenge amounts by meeting participation benchmarks throughout the day:

• 540 gifts (a nod to Fredericksburg’s area code) by 9 a.m. will unlock $1,540 from Jay Sinha ’07 and Miriam McCue ’16
• 1,000 gifts by noon will unlock $3,000 from Susan Leavitt ’83
• 1,908 gifts (paying homage to UMW’s founding year) by 5 p.m. will unlock $5,000 from Mary Louise Holmes ’97
• 3,000 gifts by 11:59 p.m. will unlock $9,000from Robert Strassheim ’96 and Sarah Gildersleeve Strassheim ’01.

More than 200 Giving Day ambassadors – alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends of UMW – have signed on to help spread the word on social media. Their enthusiasm is a key ingredient in the day’s success; data from past Giving Days shows that each social post by an ambassador inspires three additional gifts. Anyone can sign up online as an ambassador (and receive a digital toolkit and unique referral link). Read more.

Mary Wash Giving Day returns on Tuesday, April 13 with the theme of #AllTogetherUMW

There’s no time like spring at the University of Mary Washington, and there’s no day like Giving Day. Mary Wash Giving Day returns this year on Tuesday, April 13, and the University community near and far – alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and friends – is invited to join the celebration.

This year’s theme, #AllTogetherUMW, serves as a reminder of what can be accomplished when supporters join forces for a common purpose: to benefit students through funding for academic, athletic, arts, leadership, service, career and cultural programs. And this year’s goal — 3,000 gifts to areas across the University during the 24-hour online event — emphasizes each donor’s impact on the student experience.

Also known as “Mary Wash Day,” the initiative has grown exponentially since its 2017 inception, and with 2020’s event canceled amidst the growing pandemic, UMW’s Annual Giving team is pulling out all the stops this year. Dynamic leaderboards, matching funds and social media challenges will add to the excitement as the day’s progress is tracked live.

The University has benefited from strong private support for more than a century, and donors’ gifts have provided an essential boost throughout the past year. As student need grows and UMW adapts to a rapidly changing world, Giving Day gifts are more valuable than ever. On the Mary Wash Giving Day website, on April 13, donors will be able to provide direct financial assistance to students through the General Scholarship Fund or the Technology Assistance Fund, or support the University’s most pressing needs through the Fund for Mary Washington. Gifts will strengthen diversity and inclusion initiatives, and bolster campus preservation, student life, and other areas that define the UMW difference. Read more.