What you love on Giving Day
Faculty and staff can serve as Giving Day ambassadors and win several Giving Day challenges.
On an average day, $20 might buy you a Cobb salad and coffee at Northeastern’s Faculty Club or a branded water bottle at the bookstore.
But on April 14, that money can go even further if gifted to the university. This date marks Northeastern’s ninth annual Giving Day, when the university tries to raise as much money as possible over the course of 24 hours. The donations go toward specific causes within Northeastern (donors can give to their choice, such as the campus, student clubs or athletic teams) or to the university as a whole. Alumni, families, students, faculty and staff are all encouraged to donate and inspire others to do so as well.
“Whether (you) give us $5 or … a seven-figure gift, your support of the institution is important,” Lori Jacques, associate vice president of alumni relations and annual giving, told Northeastern Global News.
This year, the goal is to exceed $3.5 million in donations from more than 14,000 individual donors by the time the clock strikes midnight on April 15, Jacques said. This would surpass the numbers from last year.
To help achieve this, Jacques said faculty and staff members can become Giving Day ambassadors to spread the word about the overall campaign or a specific cause/fund.
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Ambassadors make their own gift to the university and then receive a personalized referral link for donations. Anyone who acquires money from at least two donors through their link will be awarded with a Northeastern notebook while those with at least 10 win a notebook and a stuffed husky.
The five ambassadors with the most unique donors win challenge dollars going to the fund of their choice. These challenge dollars come from donor or annual giving funds, Jacques said.
This Giving Day includes nearly 120 challenges (higher than last year’s number of 108) that encourage a certain amount of donations or number of donors to different causes. The challenge winners are granted extra funding. For example, if 90 different donors give to any of the library funds, parents will donate $15,000 to the Library Dean’s Innovation Fund.
There are challenges specifically for faculty and staff. The top three funds with the most faculty and staff donors by 7 p.m. EST on April 14 will receive $1,000 in additional funding. If 500 faculty and staff members give throughout the course of the day, 10 of these donors will be randomly selected to put an extra $500 in challenge dollars toward the cause of their choice.
These challenges bring a “competitive edge,” to the day Jacques said.
“The competition really is a driver of the support we receive,” she added.
On Giving Day itself, the Boston campus will come alive with festivities, like music sung by the a cappella group the Nor’easters, a dance performance from Latinx dance team Kaliente, and tabling and activities from student organizations, colleges and athletic teams.
Jacques said they’ll also be bringing back Giving Day Live, a livestream meant to bring together Northeastern’s global network and highlight causes to which people can donate.
Jacques said the six-hour livestream will also focus on different colleges, the co-op program and spots like the library and arboretum, all of which are the subject of different Giving Day challenges.