Four Years In, Giving Day is All About the Power of Participation
Four years ago, Lisa Kernan, Endicott’s Director of Multi-Channel Giving, brought the College into a trend happening on campuses nationwide: Giving Day.
“We used to have a Month of Giving, which was highly successful, but so many colleges and universities were pulling this off in a day. We wanted to see if the Endicott community would rise to the challenge,” said Kernan.
After pitching the idea to campus stakeholders, Kernan watched Giving Day take off.
“That’s the incredible thing about the Endicott community—they answered the charge. From the first year, it’s been wildly successful,” she said. “It’s been really exciting to watch it grow. In fact, it’s my favorite time of year.”
The 24-hour fundraising challenge is happening on March 2 this year, and all community members are invited to help shape the Endicott they want to be part of—not necessarily through record-breaking donations, but through participation.
“Giving Day is special because people can directly support an area of campus that is meaningful to them,” said Patrick Hewett, Endicott’s new Vice President of Institutional Advancement.
Invested in the School of Visual and Performing Arts? Feel passionately about Hospitality Management? Participants can designate a gift anywhere across the College.
Thanks to generous alumni, parents, and friends, there are more than 25 challenges to incentivize community members to contribute any amount, even $5, because each gift helps to unlock even more funds to different programs, schools, and initiatives on campus.
“That’s why a gift of any amount really makes a difference,” said Chrissy Dahlheimer, Endicott’s new Senior Director of Multi-Channel Giving and Donor Relations.
Top challenges this year include everything from sustainability and athletics drives to a Parent Challenge and several others seeking to leverage the Gull pride of Endicott alumni.
A popular new challenge is the Comfort Dog Initiative. If 25 gifts are made toward the cause, an automatic $1,000 will be unlocked from Bill and Maryann Gilet P’24 to support the training and care of a new therapy dog joining the community from nonprofit Hero Pup.
While much of Giving Day action happens on the internet, Callahan Dining Hall is the real place to be.
Community members are invited to stop by lower Callahan from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for swag, music, snacks, and a photo booth. After 5 p.m., students can attend the Gulls Giving Day Dinner in upper Callahan where karaoke is also on the menu.
“We wanted Giving Day to feel like a day for all Gulls,” said Dahlheimer. “It’s an opportunity to create this event on campus, in the context of the wider Giving Day experience.”
Now months into life at Endicott, both Dahlheimer and Hewett remain impressed by the College’s homey, familial vibe—something Hewett wants to retain, especially in this time of extraordinary growth for the College.
“That sense of community is unique and to be celebrated,” he said. “Our students and graduates are connected and a part of a larger community that—365 days a year—serves each other and their communities. For this year’s Giving Day, we definitely wanted to stoke that feeling.”
Learn more about Giving Day or make an early gift.