The Spring Hill College Office of Development and Alumni Relations held a Give Day rally on Tuesday in preparation for the annual Give Day fundraiser on April 23. The rally consisted of faculty and students encouraging SHC members in writing personalized letters to supporters of Spring Hill informing them of Give Day and asking for a donation.
Give Day is run by the Annual Giving staff at SHC. Caitlyn Jones, assistant director of Annual Giving, helped put on the rally. Jones said that the rally is a great way to get the word out to alumni that Give Day is quickly approaching. “We are asking students to hand write to an alumni and say, ‘Because of your donation, because of your generosity, because of your support, you inspire, ignite and influence a student like me,’” Jones said during the rally.
She also explained the importance of Give Day. “It’s an 18 hour and 30 minute day for us to call out to all of our alumni, our parents, our friends, anyone who has a connection to Spring Hill, and we are asking them to ignite their passion for giving this year and help us support scholarships, athletic or academic,” Jones continued.
According to Give Day’s website, the annual fundraiser raised $228,652 in donations in 2018. The website explains how Give Day donations help SHC as a whole: “The impact of Give Day helps shape the student experience on The Hill by supporting academic divisions, athletic teams, experiences in campus ministry and service opportunities through the Foley Center.”
Annual Giving is responsible for all of the fundraisers throughout the school year. One of Spring Hill’s biggest fundraisers is Back the Badgers. Jones explained the difference between Back the Badger and Give Day. “Back the Badgers is, it’s the same concept that it’s still a social media platform. It’s still a reach out to all of our alumni, parents and friends, but Back the Badgers is only for athletics,” said Jones.
With Give Day, alumni, parents and friends are able to pick which department of the school they want to donate to. “The money raised on Give Day goes to all of the scholarship funds to all of the students,” Jones explained. “When they go to the website, they watch the video and it will say, ‘Where do you want to give?’ And you’ll scroll down and you’ll pick which destination you want to give it to,” she continued.
Jones concluded by saying how key it rally is in getting alumni excited about Give Day: “We are trying to get the message out, connect the students to alumni and get them revved up and make sure they have a reminder on their fridge so it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, this student gave me a handwritten note, I need to make sure I give.’”
Give Day is April 23. If you have any questions regarding the fundraiser, contact Caitlyn Jones at cjones@shc.edu.