MORGANTOWN — In its second year, a one-day fundraising effort for WVU brought in more than $6 million — more than doubling efforts in the first year.
Wednesday’s second annual Day of Giving saw 3,001 gifts during the 24-hour online giving event totaling over $6.2 million.
It was promoted as “One Day to Give Back.”
“Once again, our alumni and friends have shown incredible loyalty and support for West Virginia University,” President Gordon Gee said in a press release Thursday. “More importantly, their support for our second Day of Giving shows that they want to do everything they can to ensure that future generations are able to have the same experience and education they received. One could not ask for more.”
The Day of Giving’s success was buoyed by several global matches and participation gifts, as well as those made at the college/school/unit level, according to the release.
Those included the first $50,000 raised during Day of Giving being matched dollar-for-dollar, and the first 1,000 gifts of $100 or more being matched up to $100 each for an extra $100,000. Donations made to any Greatest Needs Fund on Day of Giving were matched dollar-for-dollar by Frank and Jayna Alderman for an additional $25,000. Also, Pat and Alison Deem matched donations made to general scholarship funds on Day of Giving for another $25,000.
In a participation challenge, Mountaineer Nation responded by sharing more than 2,000 photos on social media with the Mountaineer Mascot — current or former. For that, a $20,000 gift came from alumni Mike Escue and Alexis Pugh.
“The success of our second Day of Giving was beyond what I ever imagined, and I want to thank everyone who participated,” said Mary Esposito, who led the effort for the WVU Foundation. “It was truly exciting to see the WVU family respond to our call to give and make a difference. The engagement on social media was excellent as well.”
WVU Day of Giving was focused on raising private dollars for the university’s greatest priorities and opportunities, including scholarships and unrestricted funds at both the university and unit-specific level. The event also included WVU Health Sciences and the regional campuses in Keyser and Beckley.
“In one day, our supporters truly stepped up to help WVU,” Esposito said in the release. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the response. This is why being a Mountaineer is so special.”
During the inaugural WVU Day of Giving last November, more than 2,500 gifts were made totaling nearly $3 million.
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