Stories

“All of us old-time SCU alumni remember and love our Padre Coz”
—Class of 1986 Bronco, as he gave $250 to the Father Coz Scholarship.

“I am grateful for their opportunities”
Aunt and cousin of two recent Santa Clara University first-generation graduates, as she gave $25 to the LEAD Scholar program.

“It’s a great day to be a Bronco with Fr. O’Brien at the helm”
--A 2015 alumna—who had just met SCU President Kevin O’Brien, S.J., in New York— as she gave $25 to Bronco Bench Foundation.

Those were just a few of the thousands of outpourings of support shown to Santa Clara University on March 4, as alumni and supporters rallied during the seventh annual Day of Giving. All told, SCU raised nearly $2.5 million from over 5,300 gifts—in what has become a blockbuster day of giving and support for SCU.

In addition to supporting more than 250 academic departments, athletics teams, schools, centers, and scholarship funds, Day of Giving also helped Santa Clara move closer to its goal for the Leavey Challenge. That challenge from longtime SCU supporters, the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation, will donate $1 million to Santa Clara University if more than 18,000 individual donors give to SCU by June 30, 2020.

Throughout Day of Giving, donors were urged on by chairs from virtually every class year; boosters for programs; center and sports ambassadors; and by donors who put up matching dollars or challenge gifts to rally passionate supporters to give to campus programs dear to their hearts.

“Day of Giving is a powerhouse day for Santa Clara University, not just because we raised nearly $2.5 million and edged closer to unlocking another $1 million through the Leavey Challenge,” said University Relations Vice President James Lyons. “This day brings out the very best of what Broncos are known for: Stepping up to help thousands of students, and supporting programs and people doing valuable work in areas like sustainability, ethics, first-generation-student programming, or clubs and sports. It is hugely touching to see the expressions of pride in this institution that means so much to so many.”

This year’s Day of Giving had many standout moments:

• Donations flowed from almost every state in the U.S., as well as countries such as United Kingdom (6 gifts); Canada and Spain (4 each); France, Ireland, and Greece (2 each); and China, India, Costa Rica, Japan, Peru, and Thailand, each of which produced one gift.
• Nearly 50 units or programs featured special challenges created by donors to spur participation. Three-fourths of them met or exceeded their challenge goals, unlocking $314,000. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, by surpassing 100 donors, unlocked a $60,000 challenge gift from a generous group of advisory board members. Sustainability initiatives on campus will receive a $50,000 challenge gift from Dorian Daley J.D. ’86 and Michael Krautkramer. And LEAD Scholars unlocked $21,000 from an anonymous donor by surpassing 100 gifts.
• Athletics raised the most money (nearly $900,000) from the most number of gifts (over 1,800).
• Numerous units broke their past Day of Giving records, including the College of Arts and Sciences, which raised $181,983 from 259 gifts. Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, which raised over $165,000 from 207 donors, was bolstered to its new high after reaching two challenge thresholds and unlocking $50,000 from anonymous benefactors. And Leavey School of Business raised $188,894 from 261 gifts, in part by unlocking $35,000 in two challenge gifts from Michele Barnett Gaskill ’02 and an anonymous family.

The one-day effort was supported by weeks of planning by dozens of University employees. Among the advance work:

• Over 50 e-mails went to nearly 100,000 alumni, friends, and past supporters, sharing news of the Day of Giving and urging support.
• Dozens of social media teams across campus created short videos and social media content exhorting supporters to give to that particular program.
• More than 350 social-media posts were shared across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
• More than 600 Bronco Ambassadors raised over $200,000 by using their own social media networks to encourage giving.

The full results for the day can be found on the Day of Giving website.