Bobcat Community shatters records for student support on OHIO Giving Day

In a display of generosity that eclipsed previous records, Bobcats from all over the nation gave during OHIO’s 5th annual Giving Day on April 9 to set new benchmarks for the number of donors and dollars contributed on a single day.

“We often say that Bobcats help Bobcats, and our alumni, partners and supporters definitely proved that true on Giving Day,” said Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “Support poured in to lift and enrich student experiences, and the combined impact will be transformational for many students and programs.”

More than 3,070 donors from 49 states gave over $1.4 million and counting on Giving Day to provide access, experience, and impact for today’s OHIO students, surpassing last year’s then-record of 2,672 donors and $1.1 million dollars. Giving Day is a 24-hour, once-a-year event to inspire support for Ohio University and its students.

The Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees committed $48,382 as a match for their annual Power Hour, doubling donors’ contributions from noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday.

President Lori Stewart Gonzalez and Randy Gonzalez offered a Surprise Presidential Power Hour at 7 p.m., matching $500 of all gifts up to $10,000 to any fund on the Giving Day website. They also encouraged donors to make a gift to support the Marching 110 with the offer of an invitation to the President’s Tailgate for OHIO’s football home opener this fall.

“I want to thank our leadership for setting the bar yesterday with these important match gifts. We also had dozens of supporters who made challenge gifts to drive donations to their fund of choice, and their commitment was essential to our Giving Day success,” said Lyn Redington, Interim Vice President for University Advancement and President and CEO of the Ohio University Foundation. “Thank you to each of these important partners.”

Students joined in a special event Tuesday to celebrate Giving Day, replete with refreshments, giveaways, and photo ops with squirrel mascots, and posted to their social accounts to help boost visibility for the day.

Alumni, staff, student, and faculty volunteers also contributed gifts of their time as Giving Day advocates. Advocates brought energy and excitement to the day through social media posts and outreach—175 advocates generated 686 gifts on Giving Day, totaling $147,461. And the popular Giving Day option to symbolically name a College Green squirrel for gift of $18.04 or more resulted in 1,850 squirrels named.

Each college on the Athens campus as well as all five of OHIO’s regional campuses benefited from Giving Day donations. Funds from each area were chosen to highlight OHIO’s focus on delivering a world-class education and engaging in the communities it serves.