Hope College’s 10th annual Day of Giving is this Thursday and Friday, Feb. 22–23, 2024. The 36-hour fundraising frenzy raises money for student scholarships from the Hope Fund, and for academic and co-curricular programs across campus, including Hope Forward.
“Day of Giving was started ten years ago to raise funds for student scholarships. Since then, as success for Day of Giving has grown, we have expanded to offer a wide range of giving opportunities so that every donor can give to what they love,” said Michael Niederer, director of annual giving at Hope.
In 2023, 2,574 gifts were made on Day of Giving, totaling $487,797. This year, donors can choose from fourteen different categories and a total of 1,400 different funds to allocate their gifts to their areas of interest.
“When donors give to what they love at Hope, they have a direct impact on our more than 3,360 students,” said Niederer. “Day of Giving is the perfect opportunity for alumni and fans of Hope College to support what they love most at Hope, whether it’s a special program, in honor of a beloved professor, or to support our area of highest need — scholarships. There is something for everyone to support on Day of Giving!”
This year’s fundraiser includes a lineup of several matching gifts offered by generous alumni, families and friends of Hope to encourage giving. These matches will make a significant impact on the total dollars raised from Day of Giving, with multipliers ranging from one-to-one matches to 4x the gift, up to $100,000 total. A gift of just $25 to the Hope Fund will turn into $125 until a total of $100,000 has been raised.
Challenges totaling up to $120,000 will also be featured throughout the day, with friendly competitions between Greek Life organizations, faculty and staff, and Hope Athletics fans, as well as challenges for specific initiatives such as the Hope-Western Prison Education Program and the Ohgimi Bronze Relief Challenge.
Students, staff and faculty are invited stop by the “Day of Giving hub” in the Bultman Student Center Great Room on Thursday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. for a variety of snacks, games and opportunities to celebrate. Attendees will also have the option to make donations via cash or credit card, and to participate in the stewardship process by writing thank you notes to donors.
“We could not do Day of Giving at this level if it weren’t for our generous donors,” said Niederer. “Matches and challenges make it fun to give and help get everyone fired up about generosity!”
All online gifts and progress for our matches and challenges can be followed on the Day of Giving Leaderboard page. Learn more at hope.edu/give2hope.
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