BU’s Giving Day Returns for 11th Year on Wednesday
Annual one-day fundraising event will support 750 organizations and causes across the University
BU students painting a mural of campus at the George Sherman Union during Giving Day 2024. This year’s on-campus activities include a photo booth, swag giveaways, and an appearance by President Melissa Gilliam. Photo by Dana J. Quigley
BU’s Giving Day Returns for 11th Year on Wednesday
Annual one-day fundraising event will support 750 organizations and causes across the University
BU will host its annual Giving Day on Wednesday, April 9. The theme of this year’s 24-hour fundraising drive is “Right Here, Right Now,” emphasizing the power of community to make an immediate difference. The GSU Link will buzz with activity, including a photo booth, swag giveaways, a prize wheel, and a special appearance by President Melissa Gilliam. And groups across campus will host tables to inform the campus community about the impact of giving back to BU.
Every gift, of any amount, made through midnight PDT on April 9 will count toward the Giving Day total and toward the goal of reaching 13,000 individual donors. Early giving is also encouraged, which donors can do now by visiting give.bu.edu/giving-day.
By supporting a favorite cause, donors can unlock challenges, bonus funds, and matching gifts to make their impact go even further. Over $1.3 million in bonus funds will be awarded through hourly and themed challenges like “Most Improved”—given to funds with the greatest improvement over last year’s donor count—and new this year, the “Overachiever Challenge,” awarded to the funds that recorded the greatest number of early-bird donors between March 3 and April 7.
With over 750 causes to support—including research, scholarships, and student organizations—donors are encouraged to make gifts that are personally meaningful. Among the causes represented this year:
- The BU Food Pantry, which provides groceries to students facing food insecurity
- Student-facing programs like the Newbury Center for first-generation students, the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, and Student Wellbeing
- BU Athletics, Club Sports, and student Clubs & Organizations
- Academic access through the General Scholarship Fund
Donors can also provide flexible support across the University through the Area of Greatest Need Fund.
“Giving Day is always inspiring, and we are especially excited to build on the momentum of the past few years,” says Danielle Reddy, BU interim vice president for alumni engagement. BU has consistently broken fundraising records in recent years, bringing in $3.88 million on Giving Day in 2024. “Terriers across the globe continue to demonstrate a passionate commitment to BU students and the BU community as a whole. We couldn’t be more grateful.”
Now in its third year, the Giving Day Advocate (formerly Ambassador) program aims to engage BU students, alumni, parents, and friends to amplify the “Right Here, Right Now” message. In 2024, over 500 Advocates raised $130,000 and 2,172 unique gifts by spreading the word about Giving Day to their friends and family. Advocates receive a unique giving link to share, and the gifts made through that link are tracked on a leaderboard throughout the day.
“The advocate program has been a game-changing piece of BU’s Giving Day since 2023,” says Kellie Sullivan, executive director of annual giving. “Knowing your gift supports a cause that matters to a trusted peer makes giving that much more meaningful. And our impact is exponentially greater when we lean on our communities.”
To learn more about Giving Day activities, highlighted funds, and ways to give, visit give.bu.edu/giving-day.
Sarah Leithner (MET’25) is BU Development & Alumni Relations executive assistant for alumni engagement. She can be reached at smleit@bu.edu.
Comments & Discussion
Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.