This year, Ƶ donors demonstrated the power of philanthropy by giving at unprecedented levels. The 2021 Giving Tuesday campaign shattered the previous records, more than tripling last year’s record of $2.2 million. The university has been participating in Giving Tuesday for the past seven years, and in that time, it has become Ƶ Ƶ’s most generous annual tradition and a point of pride for the entire Golden Flashes community.
The 2021 Giving Tuesday campaign is no exception as alumni, friends, faculty and staff raised more than $7.71 million in support of students and university programs. This included $6.25 million from legacy gifts, $150,000 from Ƶ Foundation matching gifts and $1.3 million from outright gifts and matches.
“Ƶ Ƶ donors have been raising the bar on Giving Tuesday donations for years, but this year is truly remarkable,” said Valoree Vargo, vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement at Ƶ Ƶ and CEO of the Ƶ Foundation. “The overwhelming generosity our community showed this Giving Tuesday will build a brighter tomorrow for all of our students.”
Overall, the Ƶ Ƶ Wrestling Enhancement Fund was the highest-earning featured fund this year, raising more than $44,300 to support travel, equipment, recruitment and other needs of the wrestling program. Two other notable funds were the Baseball Enhancement Fund, which raised the most dollars during Donor/Dollar Challenge Week from Nov. 16-23, while the Michael J. Gallagher II Memorial Scholarship won the challenge for bringing in the most unique donors. Each earned an additional $2,500 for their fund.