By: Reiley Bartel, Online Editor
Newman’s annual “Giving Day,” when the university dedicates a full day to bringing in funds from alumni and other donors, is just a few days away.
The fourth-annual event, which starts at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday and runs until midnight, will include events and activities for both alumni and students.
Last year, Newman raised $45,000 on Giving Day, and this year, organizers hope to not only raise more money but also to get more alumni involved.
“Our main goal is to have more engagement than last year,” said Laura Hartley, Director of Annual Giving. “That includes the amount raised and the people that donate.”.
The hope, organizers say, is to encourage an “attitude of gratitude.”
“Newman has given so much to our alumni, not only an education but friends and connections. We want to encourage an attitude of giving back.” said Julia Sanders, Newman’s Advancement Database Coordinator. “We are wanting to raise the alumni donation percentage. Right now it is at 1.7% out of about 17,000 alumni. This year, we have 1,651 donors and only 298 alumni donors. Any dollar amount helps to make a donation of difference.”
Giving Day may seem like it is all about alumni, but really, it is about the students too, organizers said.
“We strive to include the students,” Hartley said. “We have a day with a student booth in Eck Hall (Tuesday) where students can donate and win prizes and there’s food. It's a lot of fun. At lunch, we have a battle in Fugate gym, where Newman students come to play minute-to-win-it games in an effort to raise money for a particular part of campus. We would love students there to cheer on their fellow students.”
Lunch at the event, which starts at noon, will be free for the first 50 students.”
Not only that, but there will also be trivia games starting at 7 p.m. in the Dugan Gorges Conference Center where students can compete. It has Marvel and DC themes and costs $10 a person. Students can sign up for the game at https://newmanu.wufoo.com/forms/s1r03i0n1hu6upe/
“The main thing we are raising money for is the Student Success Center, which will take over the old bookstore.” Hartley said. The goal is to give life to that space again, and though it won’t have a coffee shop, she said, it will have a Newman shop selling Newman gear.
PHOTO: Courtesy Photo, University Relations
