Even before the official start, 86 donors made an early gift to support students’ hands-on learning and one-to-one experiences with professors.
More than 50 Day to Lead champions mobilized to help spread the excitement of MBU’s day of giving to their networks of classmates and friends, encouraging others to participate. See some of the day’s highlights from champions’ and alumni’s social feeds here.
“We couldn’t have done it without the support of our A Day to Lead the Way champions,” said Megan McAllister, director of annual philanthropy. “In the weeks leading up to our day of giving, they rallied their classmates through making hundreds of calls, posting on social media, and even changing their travel plans so they could follow along with the excitement on the day. I was blown away by their support, and am incredibly grateful to each and every one of them.”
In the morning, President Pamela Fox led a $5,000 matching hour, in which 47 donors successfully more than doubled the hour’s impact for a total of $19,315. This year’s matching hour results also set a new record for the university, more than doubling the amount that was raised last year during the matching hour.
Halfway through the day, an additional $50,000 gift was unlocked when donors rallied to meet the $200,000 benchmark.
New to this year’s A Day to Lead the Way were two fun and unique ways to engage alumni and students while being mindful of health and safety precautions.
A scavenger hunt on both the Staunton and Fishersville campuses helped show current students the importance of philanthropy, as they followed clues to campus landmarks and resources that were made possible by donors.
Capping the day of giving was a virtual event for all alumni that featured a special look at the day’s progress, university-wide updates from the president, Squirrel Jeopardy: MBU trivia, and class socializing.