The Wright State Foundation will be hosting Wright State University’s third-annual Wright Day to Give on Founders Day, Oct. 1.
“Wright Day to Give is the university’s giving day,” said Amy Jones, director of annual giving. “We launched it in 2017 as part of the 50th anniversary. It is our digital day of giving where we spend a lot of our time and resources into the digital components of soliciting gifts from alumni, parents, [students] and friends [or] supporters of the university. The main constituency on Wright Day to Give are alumni.”
“When we launched, we had internal goals [for] what it would be and it was very successful. Our first one was 50 hours for 50 years, [but this one] is 24 hours,” said Nicole Craw, assistant director of alumni marketing and communication.
With a participation goal of 600 donors this year, the Wright State Foundation is looking forward to the outcome of this year’s Wright Day to Give.
“Last year we had 550 donors and raised almost $70,000 in 24 hours,” said Craw. “We had people who gave from Japan or Canada and people we hadn’t heard from [for decades]. It’s really cool to be able to have those people come out of the woodwork and reestablish a relationship with the university.”
For those that might be hesitant to take part during Wright Day to Give, Jones and Craw stress the importance of being a part of a day dedicated to coming together and giving back, not the amount that one can give.
“[Wright Day to Give is about] participation. It’s coming together and making a minimal or major gift. It doesn’t matter what you want to give, it’s about giving,” said Jones.
“Giving days are about being counted and giving that participation no matter how big a gift you can give. If its five dollars, that’s awesome; we’re excited that you gave your first gift,” said Craw.
If you have an organization, college or part of Wright State that you would like to dedicate your gift to, individuals can select to give to the specific area they are passionate about.
“There are 1,900 scholarships and program funds that you can donate to in the university. No matter what you like, you can find something to donate to that will help out our students,” said Craw.
Since Wright Day to Give falls during Homecoming week, The ‘67 Society will be hosting events leading up to the event as well as events throughout the week.
“They will have a function that is philanthropy-driven where students can jump in a money machine. If you acquire, through the 20 seconds in the money machine, $38, you as a student can [decide to give to an organization], the money will go to [that organization]. It’s teaching our students about the act of philanthropy,” said Jones.
On Oct. 1, The ‘67 Society will also host Give for the ‘Gram, a digital scavenger hunt where student organizations can win a prize. All participating organizations will be entered to win a $250 prize for their student organization Wright State Foundation fund.
They will also be hosting “Share a Pint” Night at Warped Wing on Oct. 1.
“This money has all been donated by alumni and friends. We want students to be aware that we want to have these fun things for [them], but we also want to give back. We want to give back in a way that is fun and teaches that a lot of the money comes from alumni, faculty and staff, who are big supporters of the university,” said Craw.
Keep a look out on social media as well as Engage and Corq for all the events that will be happening before and during Homecoming week.
