Adler University raised nearly $119,000 during its inaugural Giving Day. This 24-hour fundraising campaign seeks to invest in the next generation of socially responsible practitioners who will serve as the changemakers of tomorrow.
The inaugural Giving Day was held May 10-11.
Held May 10-11, Giving Day found wide support from faculty, staff, students, and alums — all who gave gifts of all sizes to the Adler Fund, which allows the University to meet the demands of ever-evolving programs, provide student resources, and support opportunities to partner with other organizations to address emerging community concerns. The gifts received during Giving Day also mean more scholarships, more partnerships, and more opportunities to positively impact the world.
“I am extremely happy with the success of our first-ever Giving Day,” said Jeremiah Stevens, director of Institutional Advancement for Individual Giving and Alumni Relations. “We set big goals and while we didn’t hit all of them, we blew past anything that the Adler community has achieved in the past.”
Organized by the Office for Institutional Advancement (OIA), Giving Day also received substantial backing from the Board of Trustees, which matched every $10 gift with $500, and the Cabinet, which matched every employee gift dollar for dollar.
OIA extended the campaign for a few hours after a senior leadership team member was inspired to offer an extra incentive — offering $500 to the University department that contributed the most to the campaign. The Department of Counseling and Integrated Programs won this mini challenge.
In addition, as a kickoff to the campaign, OIA announced Christina Castro, a student in the Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision program, won the “I Am a Changemaker” video contest, which asked the Adler community to share a two-minute video on what they’re doing to create positive change in their community. As the winner, Castro can designate where $1,000 of general funding will go — whether it’s a program, scholarship, or another area of the University.
“I want to thank all of our colleagues, the Alumni Council, and of course, our donors, who made Giving Day a success,” Stevens said. “I am excited about what we accomplished in our first year, and I can’t wait to see what we are able to accomplish next year.”