A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
On Mary Wash Giving Day, also known as #MaryWashDay, donors can make gifts to areas across the University from midnight to 11:59 p.m. at givingday.umw.edu. Challenges and matches funded by generous donors will be “unlocked” throughout the day, multiplying the impact of each gift. The University has set a goal of 3,500 gifts, topping last year’s Giving Day tally of 2,987 gifts totaling more than $449,000. On March 19, each gift will be tracked on dynamic leaderboards on the site, providing real-time updates on progress toward the participation goal. Read more.
The third annual Mary Wash Giving Day, the University’s 24-hour online fundraising event, will be held on March 19, 2019. The Office of Annual Giving requests that all departments and groups, returning or new, who wish to participate in Giving Day by raising funds for your department/group complete a participation form by September 10. This form is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/78GKRXT.
The first training session for Giving Day participants will be held in September; the date will be provided in a future EagleEye.
Questions should be directed to Beth Hunsinger, Director of Annual Giving: ehunsing@umw.edu.
Mary Wash Giving Day, the University’s first 24-hour giving day, was the largest one-day fundraising effort in Mary Washington history. Held March 14, 2017, the celebration coincided with the 109th anniversary of the University’s founding. Snowy roads forced the closure of campus and cancellation of Giving Day events, but donors still turned out in force online to make the day a huge success.
Final Giving Day results are as follows:
· 1,218 gifts to areas across the University, including the Fund for Mary Washington, arts and cultural programs, athletics, academic departments, the Amphitheatre restoration, and scholarships
· 1,090 unique donors (counting each donor once, even if they made more than one gift), including 678 alumni (31 of whom are also faculty or staff members), and 58 current and former faculty and staff members.
· $217,255 in gifts and gift commitments, including $80,655 for the Fund for Mary Washington
As we mark one month since this historic day of philanthropy, gifts are already at work strengthening the Mary Washington experience for students. This snapshot from the Office of Annual Giving provides additional highlights of the day:
We are thrilled to report that 614 donors, including many faculty and staff, came together in just two weeks to make $108,334 in gifts and gift commitments to the Fund for Mary Washington, exceeding the goal of $108,000 to mark the University’s 108th founding anniversary.
The funds raised during the Challenge will preserve and strengthen the Mary Washington tradition. Thank you to all who made the second annual Founders Day Challenge a success!