2022 Giving Day Raises over $3 Million
Bright balloons and tables stocked with BU swag heralded the return of Giving Day to campus April 6, the first such in-person event since 2019. Photo by Dana J. Quigley
2022 Giving Day Raises over $3 Million
More than 10,000 donors on four continents came out to support “community, big yet small”
The first in-person BU Giving Day since 2019—held Wednesday, April 6— yielded $3,153,041 from 10,032 donors, supporting more than 400 causes across campus. Gifts came from all 50 states and from Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, and many other locations around the globe during the annual 24-hour fundraising event.
“This was a record-breaking success,” says Scott Graham, executive director of annual giving. The total amount raised on this eighth Giving Day is second only to 2019’s $3.25 million-plus—and this year’s gifts set records for the School of Law, varsity athletics, club sports, and more.
LAW, for instance, received a record total of more than $287,000 from 322 donors, including a successful challenge supporting the Public Interest Project. Varsity sports topped seven figures for the fifth Giving Day in a row, with more than 2,900 donors giving over $1.25 million. Among schools and colleges, the College of Arts & Sciences followed LAW on the leaderboard, breaking the 1,000-donor threshold to secure more than $217,000.
“This year’s theme of ‘community, big yet small’ really resonated with supporters,” says Erika Jordan, vice president for alumni engagement. The five funds highlighted as part of that theme—the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, the Newbury Center, BU Diversity & Inclusion, and the student emergency and general scholarship funds—brought in more than $70,000 all told, from more than 500 donors.
“It was a great day,” Graham says, “especially after having to cancel the 2020 Giving Day because of the pandemic, and then holding last year’s entirely online.”
Despite the damp weather, food trucks and other activities drew Giving Day participants across campus. And BU Academy will be seeing more food trucks to come, thanks to successful challenges: attaining 100 donors for BUA unlocked an ice cream truck for students at Field Day, and getting 200 donors unlocked a food truck for the faculty end-of-year celebration.
Even better, reaching the 300-donor mark means that all of BUA’s students, faculty, and staff will get to attend a Red Sox game. By day’s end, 343 donors had contributed more than $56,000 to the academy.
All gifts made from midnight EDT to midnight PDT on April 6 counted toward the Giving Day total. Gift amounts included 517 donations totaling $1,000 or more, with 71 of those being $10,000-plus donations. More results, school and college leaderboards, and other highlights are available at bu.edu/givingday.
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