WILMINGTON — More than 200 alumni and friends of Wilmington College gave more than $60,000 in support of students during the national #GivingTuesday promotion May 5.
The total far exceeded the $25,000 goal set to supplement funding that allows the College to proactively address issues arising from COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Matt Wahrhaftig, vice president for advancement, expressed his appreciation for the “generous outpouring of support,” adding that 70 percent of the $60,000 raised came from WC alumni and the average gift size was $156.
“This was the first time the College has attempted a second day of giving — the popular original #GivingTuesday is annually held in late fall — and we are thrilled with the results,” he said. “It was really great to see alumni and friends rally around the College and our students.”
Wahrhaftig cited several large gifts totaling $25,000 from a trio of alumni who challenged WC stakeholders to give a total of $25,000 to “unlock” their gift. Once that occurred Tuesday evening, another donor stepped up and offered to match $5,000 in gifts made before midnight.
“Mission accomplished! The response was awe-inspiring,” he added. “Our alumni and friends showed up when we needed them and sent a message loud and clear to the campus of how much they appreciate everything the faculty, staff and trustees do at Wilmington College and the special efforts we make to take care of our students.”
He noted that a notable attraction in the days leading up to the day-long campaign was a series of short videos created by faculty, staff and alumni promoting the value of giving to this relief fund with the proclamation that, “We’re all Quakers for life!”
Indeed, the hashtag, #Quaker4Life, resonated throughout social media as the day’s total number of gifts continued to climb.
In addition to directly addressing student financial need in the wake of the pandemic, gifts to the fund will aid in supporting extra counseling for students, faculty and staff during this period of uncertainty, investments in distance learning technology, crisis management planning and yet-to-be identified needs relating to the pandemic.
