West Virginia University announced on March 26 that its ninth annual Day of Giving raised more than $22 million, with supporters making a record-breaking number of gifts during the 24-hour event held on March 25.
The fundraising initiative is important because it provides critical support for academic programs, scholarships, research, health care, and student experiences across the university system. The focus this year was on unrestricted scholarship support to give flexibility in meeting students’ needs.
More than 11,000 gifts were received from alumni and friends throughout the day. Contributions supported various parts of the university including WVU Health Sciences, WVU Medicine, WVU Athletics, and regional campuses in Keyser and Beckley. For the first time since 2019, every state in the country was represented among donors.
Michael T. Benson participated in his first Day of Giving as president and encouraged contributions toward innovative projects aligned with his Strategic Compass plan. “We are so thankful for the many alumni and supporters who came together on Day of Giving to support WVU,” Benson said. “As Mountaineers, we lead with pride, and these results are evidence of the generosity, buy in, and bold spirit that drive our mission to serve West Virginia while providing our students the life-changing experiences that prepare them to serve others and lead in the Mountain State and around the world.” Among notable donations were a $3 million gift from Syd Peng to benefit engineering programs and a $2 million gift from Hamid and Tina Moghadam for neuroscience research.
Kristen Shipp, executive director of annual giving at WVU Foundation said: “This year’s WVU Day of Giving demonstrated the power of collective philanthropy at scale. The remarkable level of participation from our community shows a deep and growing commitment to supporting our students and advancing the University’s mission.”
The event used email campaigns starting in February as well as social media outreach to engage alumni, faculty, staff, students and other supporters. An online donation page was set up for ease of giving; hourly challenges encouraged friendly competition among colleges throughout social media platforms.
West Virginia University has produced notable scholarship recipients including 25 Rhodes Scholars and 27 Truman Scholars according to its official website. The university also fosters an inclusive community by embracing diverse contributions according to its official website. Its network includes distinctive campuses according to its official website, all united under its motto ‘Mountaineers Go First’ according to its official website.
Looking ahead, organizers say that future Days of Giving will continue focusing on raising private funds for scholarships as well as unit-specific priorities across all areas within West Virginia University’s system.
