LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming’s fourth annual UW Giving Day surpassed all expectations, raising a total of $1,119,348 in gifts and pledges from 1,031 donors.
UW Giving Day — falling on Nov. 27 this year — is an annual tradition held in conjunction with Giving Tuesday that takes place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving from midnight to midnight. It follows the traditional shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“To see over 1,000 donors make a gift to the University of Wyoming in 24 hours was truly incredible,” says Jack Tennant, director of annual giving for the UW Foundation. “With gifts supporting units and students all over campus, it was clear that our alumni and supporters care deeply about their university.”
“Being a part of the University of Wyoming for over 12 years, including six in athletics, I’ve had some exciting days. This one is among the top. I could not be happier for campus and everyone involved with the day,” he added.
The more than $1.1 million total includes $308,000 in gifts, some that were doubled by matching funds. These included a $50,000 matching fund created by personal gifts from the UW Foundation Board of Directors and a President’s Impact Fund matching fund created by Bill Lange of the Lura-Lee G. and William E. Lange Foundation. It also included $804,000 in major gifts from seven generous donors.
The effort was supported by people across campus, across the state and across the nation. First and foremost, the more than 1,000 donors from 37 states and the District of Columbia gave gifts ranging in size from $1 to thousands of dollars.
The UW Foundation spearheaded the effort, and UW faculty, staff, administration and students supported it by getting the word out through social media, newsletters and personal contacts.
Word quickly spread through donors, alumni and friends. The online giving platform (www.uwyo.edu/givingday) is a partnership between the UW Foundation and Community Funded, a crowd-funding and philanthropy organization.
The program with the most money raised was the UW College of Business, with a total for the day of $463,636. This total includes gifts and major gifts that support scholarships, excellence funds and other college priorities.
“I want to thank all of you for supporting us on Giving Day,” says David Sprott, dean of the UW College of Business. “The alumni, the students, the state — everybody — want to see this place succeed. We talk about the very big donations that make headlines in newspapers — a new center is started, a new institute. The reality is the small donations matter as well. One hundred dollars on an annual basis from a large number of people can have a significant impact.”
In 2017, UW Giving Day raised $364,455 in gifts and pledges in a single day. Two hundred sixteen donors gave gifts ranging from $1 to thousands of dollars in support of areas across campus and out into the state.
Donations came from across the U.S. and around the world. UW’s first giving day was in 2015.
