West Virginia University Day of Giving is Wednesday, March 3. The 24-hour online fundraiser is organized by the WVU Foundation to support the University’s greatest priorities and opportunities, as well as scholarships and unrestricted funds at both the University- and unit-specific levels. (WVU graphic)
West Virginia University supporters can boost the impact of their Day of Giving contributions Wednesday, March 3, by taking part in a number of fundraising challenges planned throughout the day.
Now in its fourth year, WVU Day of Giving is a 24-hour online fundraising effort organized by the WVU Foundation to support the University’s greatest priorities and opportunities, as well as scholarships and unrestricted funds at both the University- and unit-specific levels. This includes WVU Health Sciences and WVU’s regional campuses.
As Day of Giving shifts to a new time of year, the event will feature a variety of new challenges to encourage participation and build momentum. Challenges taking place throughout the day and hourly on Day of Giving – as well as on social media before March 3 – offer multiple opportunities for supporters to amplify their gifts by unlocking additional dollars. Among the all-day challenges:
- The top three participating groups with the most faculty and staff gifts and the most first-time donors on March 3 will win additional funding.
- The top three registered Day of Giving ambassadors who inspire the most gifts through their unique URL will win additional funding for their program/unit of choice.
- Three donors who creatively use Twitter or Instagram to share that they made a gift on March 3 will be selected to receive additional funding for the units they tag. Donors must use the share feature from the confirmation page after making their donation and use #WVUDayofGiving and #IGave.
Hourly challenges offer exciting opportunities to secure additional funds based on participation, dollar amount raised, social media engagement and more. Unique highlights include:
- From 9-10 a.m. EST, supporters can share their favorite campus photo on Twitter or Instagram to earn additional funding for the top three tagged campus units.
- From 2-3 p.m. EST, the top three units tagged in social media messages thanking a first responder or frontline worker for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic will earn bonus funding.
- From 4-5 p.m. EST, Mountaineer moms and dads can post pictures of their children in WVU gear on Twitter or Instagram. Three creative posts will be selected to earn additional funding for tagged units.
- From 8-9 p.m. EST, three of the most creative posts featuring pets donning WVU gear will earn additional funding for tagged units.
All social media posts must include #WVUDayofGiving. Supporters are encouraged to visit the WVU Day of Giving website and click the “Challenges” tab for live leaderboards, full instructions and a complete list of challenges – including a pre-Day of Giving challenge already underway on Facebook.
Challenges are particularly valuable this year, as WVU and its students continue to grapple with the economic impact of COVID-19. During the first three Days of Giving combined, more than $20 million was raised to benefit WVU students and programs.
“Mountaineers are passionate and caring, and WVU Day of Giving allows us to collectively provide much-needed support to our students, faculty, healthcare and more,” said Kristen Shipp, WVU Foundation executive director of annual giving. “It will be a 24-hour period filled with excitement where all of the Mountaineer family join together in building a stronger tomorrow.”
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CONTACT: Bill Nevin
Associate Vice President for Communications
WVU Foundation
304-284-4056; wnevin@wvuf.org
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