EverTrue presents the most innovative giving day campaigns conducted by academic institutions from 2013 to 2014.

1. via Flickr Creative Commons

2. WHY A GIVING DAY?
From small independent preps to
higher ed institutions, schools across
the country have caught on to the
giving day craze like never before…
And for good reason.
These powerful fundraising
marathons – usually 24 hours long –
have become a fun way to rally
alumni and donors for quick, yet
impressive, results.
via Flickr Creative Commons

3. via Flickr Creative Commons *Schools alphabetized by name.

4. Riding on the ever-popular
#GivingTuesday trend, Antioch College
celebrated the holiday with a
fundraising game of their own. After
making a gift, donors could vote for one
of nine projects headed by student
groups and college departments. The
winning project, Diversity Training and
Resources, was awarded $5,000 in
funding.
Antioch College
#GivingTuesday 2013
$25,575
in
24 hours via Wikimedia Commonsvia Wikimedia Commonsvia Antioch College

5. – Maureen Devine-Ahl, Senior Director of Advancement at Antioch
College
“
via Wikimedia Commons

6. ASU’s second-annual Mark It Day revolved
around a strong online and social strategy
that made use of campus celebrity and
mascot “Markie the Sunspot.” Whenever
alums donated, they would add a Markie
pin at their locations on an interactive map
– a simple yet fun incentive that made
alumni excited to give. And Markie, of
course, made his rounds on campus to
take some glamor shots with students!
Arizona State University
Mark It Day 2014
$3 million
in
48 hours via markitday.asu.edu

7. A well-designed and superbly executed
social media campaign, BU Giving Day
aimed to engage alumni online with the
tagline, “What can you do in a day?” By
providing alums with a collection of
sample tweets, Facebook posts, cover
photos, profile pictures, and Instagram
photos related to #BUGivingDay, BU
made it almost effortless for Terriers to
spread the word.
Boston University
Giving Day 2014
$1 million
in
24 hours via Wikimedia Commonsvia Wikimedia Commons

8. Although the official window for giving
lasted for 24 hours, Bowdoin didn’t limit
its outreach to the day of the event. The
school kicked everything off with a five-
day photo challenge leading up to the
special day, leaving alumni to create the
social media buzz: using the hashtag
#BowdoinOneDay, alumni posted
photos of their favorite Bowdoin
memories for a chance to win prizes.
Bowdoin College
BowdoinOne Day 2014
$272,000
in
24 hours via Wikimedia Commonsvia Wikimedia Commons

9. This wildly successful campaign was
broadcast live on air and online
through WCRU, Colgate’s student-
run radio station (a favorite among
alums). The programming featured
famous alumni like Red Sox
announcer Joe Castiglione and
Green Bay Packers President Mark
Murphy.
Colgate University
Colgate Day 2013
$5.1 million
in
24 hours
via Colgate University

10. – Murray Decock, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at
Colgate University
“
via Wikimedia Commons

11. This acclaimed campaign was the
highest-grossing 24-hour campaign by a
higher ed institution – but not without a
stellar online strategy. With livestream
events about global issues, a creative
social media push, and matching fund
games and prizes, Columbia Giving Day
inspired unprecedented support from
alumni and donors.
Columbia University
Giving Day 2013
$7.8 million
in
24 hours via Wikimedia Commons

12. Georgetown turned giving into a game
for this 27-hour online campaign, pitting
seven different cities against each
other to see which alumni group could
raise the most. A vibrant website and
steady social media buzz kept the
challenge engaging and exciting. The
winner? Chicago, with 37.41% of the
city’s alumni donating.
Georgetown University
City Challenge 2013
$529,000
in
27 hours via Kimbia.com

13. This outstanding one-day social media
campaign pitted Hobart College against
William Smith College in an arcade-
style online boxing match, complete
with an e-prize pack for alums of the
winning college. It was an epic battle,
but in the end, William Smith seized the
victory with a whopping 1,235 entries!
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Quake on the Lake 2013
2,005 gifts
in
24 hours via Hobart & William Smith Colleges

14. Houghton College’s One Day Giving
Campaign was rooted in a strong, unified
message that spoke to Houghton’s
alumni: “We Are All Houghton.” Through
social media, the college owned the
hashtag #onehoughton, posting photos
of students listing their future ambitions
on whiteboards and thanking donors.
Plus: there’s an excellent campaign video
that brought it all together.
Houghton College
One Day Giving Campaign 2014
$746,304
in
24 hours via Houghton College Facebook

15. How did K-12 prep McDonogh School
increase young alum participation from
15% to 20% in one day? Simple: social
media. McDonogh knew exactly what
would resonate with alumni on Eagle
Day and used amazing content like
videos (featuring beloved teachers),
photos, and statistics to spread the
message. There were also cool prizes
for sharing the content and giving!
McDonogh School
Eagle Day 2013
$6,845
in
24 hours via Wikimedia Commonsvia McDonogh School Alumni Facebook

16. – Katie Blaha, Alumni and Special Events Coordinator at McDonogh
School
“
via McDonogh School

17. It was no accident that this Dedham, MA
prep school increased its alumni
participation rate from 22% to 34% in just
one day. Nobles Rally Day was an epic
effort, complete with 3 videos spoofing
SportsCenter commercials, a social media
takeover, and a phonathon. The school
also organized on-campus activities,
including a dress-down day, mascot
photoshoot, a countdown board,
challenges, and prizes galore.
Noble & Greenough School
Rally Day 2014
$136,512
in
24 hours via Noble & Greenough School

18. – Greg Croak, Director of Graduate Affairs at Noble & Greenough
School
“
via Noble & Greenough School

19. “Opportunity Granted” was the theme of
Purdue’s 24-hour online giving day,
which truly accomplished what it set out
to do. University groups competed for the
highest participation; the Class of 1967
was able to raise the most money, but it
was the Class of 2013 that made the most
gifts. The day also featured a campus
BBQ and a special livestream of
university-wide initiative Purdue Moves.
Purdue University
Day of Giving 2014
$7.5 million
in
24 hours via Kimbia.comvia Wikimedia Commons

20. – Amy Noah, Vice President for Development at Purdue University
“
via Wikimedia Commons

21. The original goal was to get at least
1,001 donors in order to secure a $100k
challenge grant, but just three hours in,
that goal was met. So SCU raised the
stakes and posed a second $100k
challenge! The team leveraged email
and social media throughout the day
with the key strategy of encouraging
alums to give to the university programs
they were most passionate about.
Santa Clara University
All In For SCU 2014
$795,785
in
24 hours via Wikimedia Commonsvia Wikimedia Commons

22. – Mike Wallace, Associate Vice President for Development at Santa
Clara University
“
via Wikimedia Commons

23. A 24-hour campaign with (an extra)
charitable twist, “Thanks 4 Giving” gave
Susquehanna constituents an
opportunity to not only donate to the
university but to also cast a vote for an
organization – Habitat for Humanity,
Hurricane Relief, or Snyder County Food
Pantries – with each gift. In the end, all
three charities got enough votes for
project funding from the university.
Susquehanna University
Thanks 4 Giving Day 2013
$470,673
in
24 hours via Wikimedia Commons

24. The power of 24: In this original
campaign, UE asked alumni to make a
gift of $24 and then ask 24 friends to
also make a gift, all within the span of
24 hours. The campaign was played
out entirely online and ended up
being a big hit – UE was able to raise
thousands of dollars for student
scholarships.
University of Evansville
UEGive:24 2014
$6,361
in
24 hours
via Wikimedia Commonsvia Wikimedia Commons

25. The first ever Notre Dame Day, a global
celebration of the university’s mission,
featured an incredible 29-hour live
webcast with interviews, performances,
challenges, and other activities meant
to bolster school spirit and encourage
donations. It worked: Notre Dame Day
was a resounding success with 20,000
broadcast viewers!
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Day 2014
$900,000
in
29 hours via Wikimedia Commons

26. Carolina set out to raise one dollar for
every undergraduate student on campus
– a total of $31,288 – in their second
annual Cocky’s Countdown campaign.
With a fun three-part video series
featuring its beloved mascot Cocky, the
university had no trouble meeting (and
exceeding) that goal. The videos put a
playful spin on why alums should give in
about a minute each.
University of South Carolina
Cocky’s Countdown 2013
$34,560
in
36 hours via Zimbio.com

27. Talk about star power — UT’s super-
charged #BigOrangeGive campaign
sent daily video endorsements from UT
celebs like Peyton Manning, Dolly
Parton, and Tennessee Gov. Bill
Haslam. Combining that with a great
social media effort, UT hit the jackpot,
doubling its goal of $125k.
University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
Big Orange Give 2013
$250,105
in
125 hours
via University of Tennessee, Knoxville

28. Thanks to amazing planning, W&L Give Day
exceeded expectations. With the campus
decked out in Give Day gear, the festivities
included an ice cream party, a student
band, and a “Giving Suite” where faculty,
staff, and coaches answered phones and
took donations. And we can’t forget the
social media: #WLUGiveDay took off on
Facebook and Twitter, engaging alums with
creative photo and video content.
Washington & Lee University
Give Day 2014
$1.4 million
in
24 hours via W&L Alumni Twitter

29. – Skylar Beaver, Director of Annual Giving at Washington and Lee
University
“
via W&L University

30. A daylong giving challenge that
brought in a record-breaking number of
gifts, “One Tribe One Day” activated
the entire W&M community in support
of giving. The day of fun included a
campus carnival for current undergrads,
a Senior Class Gift Picnic, and alumni
parties in eight cities across the US and
London (with prizes for attending!).
College of William & Mary
One Tribe One Day 2014
$150,000
in
24 hours via Kimbia.comvia William & Mary

31. About EverTrue
EverTrue is the world’s leading Social Donor Management
platform. Since 2010, EverTrue has been on a mission to
build relationships in pursuit of a better world. Today,
more than 200 nonprofit institutions use EverTrue’s
software, services, and support to develop better data,
deeper relationships, and richer insights on their donors.
EverTrue’s Social Donor Management software – the first
of its kind – includes middle-of-the-pyramid donor
identification, prospect prioritization based on capacity
and propensity, industry and affinity insights through social
media integration, and powerful reporting and analytics all
in one platform. EverTrue is headquartered in Boston, MA
and is a Bain Capital-backed company.

32. About EverTrue
EverTrue is the world’s leading Social Donor Management
platform. Since 2010, EverTrue has been on a mission to
build relationships in pursuit of a better world. Today,
more than 200 nonprofit institutions use EverTrue’s
software, services, and support to develop better data,
deeper relationships, and richer insights on their donors.
EverTrue’s Social Donor Management software – the first
of its kind – includes middle-of-the-pyramid donor
identification, prospect prioritization based on capacity
and propensity, industry and affinity insights through social
media integration, and powerful reporting and analytics all
in one platform. EverTrue is headquartered in Boston, MA
and is a Bain Capital-backed company.