Alumni answer the Mission: MacWade Challenge

Northeastern alumnus Mike MacWade urged his fellow Huskies this Spring to participate in the Mission: MacWade Challenge—and alumni enthusiastically answered the call in resounding numbers.

The challenge’s goal was for 3,500 alumni to make a gift toward anything they loved about their experience at Northeastern, and to do it by March 31. In return, McWade, a 1983 graduate and senior executive at Putnam Investments, promised to make a $100,000 gift to the university.

The goal was met and MacWade gave $100,000 to support what he loved the most about his alma mater—the College of Arts, Media and Design. And he didn’t stop there. Energized by the huge turnout of his fellow alumni he issued another challenge: in return for support from an additional 500 alumni he would raise the amount of his own gift by an additional $15,000. The April 5 deadline was once again met with unexpected turnout of passionate Huskies and MacWade kept his promise.

All told, Mission: MacWade brought in more than $400,000 from 4,785 alumni donors since the challenge was launched.

“This gift is a fantastic example of  how collective giving can move our university forward. It was inspiring to see alumni empowering other alumni to give back to their alma mater through annual giving,” said Diane MacGillivray, senior vice president for university advancement.

“The success of Mission: MacWade illustrates how much this university means to every one of us. Mike put out the challenge and thousands of his fellow Huskies answered the call, making a gift to support what they love most about Northeastern,”  said Jack Moynihan, vice president for alumni relations and The Northeastern Fund.

As part of the challenge, alumni could offer their support to the Northeastern Fund or to a specific area of the university most meaningful to them.

The Northeastern Fund is the engine that supports the university’s momentum on many fronts. Annual gifts support operational and academic resource needs that continue to grow as the campus expands and evolves, and annual gifts also serve as important resources to support teaching, research, and scholarship priorities.

“We all have a vested interest in this amazing university, and because of your involvement today’s students, those who are following in our footsteps, will enjoy the same incredible opportunities we had at Northeastern,” MacWade said in thanking alumni for their support.