Sage Kiernan-Sherrow | News Editor
After four consecutive years, Western raised approximately record-breaking $140,000 in donations during WOU Giving Day on March 4, breaking their previous record and surpassing their goal of $100,000 . WOU Giving Day was started by Emily Swart, who works as the Coordinator of Annual Giving for the WOU Foundation, after realizing that other universities were beginning to shift towards having their fundraising events in the spring.
“I just thought ‘let’s give it a shot,’’ said Swart, who later boasted that, “we’ve grown into our success. I know other universities have attempted it, but we’ve done the best.”
Four years ago, Swart and her team of call-center operators and data analysts raised $28,000 in one day. Now, that amount has almost tripled.
The majority of constituents are alumni, but friends of the university and current and former employees also played a major role in meeting Swart’s goal of $100,000. Swart called the operation “bold” and “truly one of the most wonderful days that (she) had on campus.”
The money raised during WOU Giving Day is allocated towards specific programs or scholarships that the donor values. Much of the money will be going to programs that are facing significant cuts due to low enrollment.
According to Swart, programs which received some of the highest donations include Soccer, the Stonewall Center, the Veterans Services Center, Choir and Softball. There were three new scholarships created, including one for a non-traditional student, but constituents also donated to already existing scholarships like the student success scholarship and the LGBTQIA+ scholarship, which had a match. One unexpected donation was from the class of 1970, who are in the process of creating a scholarship in the form of a class gift, which will be endowed.
Swart and her team also set a goal of gaining a donor from every single state; they succeeded in reaching every state except for Delaware and North Dakota, and even got a donor from Saudi Arabia.
Swart said this turnout is proof that, “we as a campus are so close and have such strong relationships with one another that we were able to use our connections. That challenge was so special to me because it was a really good example of what this campus can do when we come together.”
She concluded by stating, “to see where it originally started to where it is now, and to know that every single dollar we raise benefits Western Oregon University students, it’s really something special.”
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
Photo by Sage Kiernan-Sherrow
