The 2023 Give Day event at The College of Idaho generated more than $300,000 in contributions from nearly 400 donors, both totals topping the same event last year.
“I’m always blown away by the generosity and love for the College that is so evident during an event like Give Day,” said Hayley Kindall ’13, the College’s Director of Annual Giving.
Give Day happens once each year and is a 24-hour event for alumni, students, friends, and the entire community to support and celebrate the College. Tuesday’s event, the seventh annual Give Day at the College, totaled $305,640 in donations from 395 total donors.
“The YoteFam really showed up to support the College and our students,” Kindall said. “This event relies heavily on alumni participation, and we had so many people sharing the campaign on social media and with their friends.”
One way that supporters and businesses choose to celebrate the College is by setting up a “match” to a specific program or cause on campus. A match is a donation pledged by a “match donor” to double, and in some cases triple, donations made by the public up to a set amount. The amount of the pledge that must be paid by the “match donor” is often contingent upon the total donations received from the public in response to the campaign, which is what makes matches so important and exciting. Two matches in particular, one from Crookham Company and another from the Helpenstell Family Trust, helped generate $125,050 for the College’s Boone Fund, an unrestricted fund that can be allocated to the most pressing needs.
Two faculty members, David and Lori Tucker of the business & accounting department, established a match challenge for other members of the faculty and staff at the College. The challenge generated 59 donations – a Give Day record – and raised nearly twice the amount of money that it set out to raise.
Alumni gifts are also organized by class year. The Class of 1987 led the way, generating $15,000 while the classes of 1967, 1973, and 2003 all topped $10,000 in contributions per graduating class.
The College of Idaho has a 132-year-old legacy of excellence. The College is known for its outstanding academic programs, winning athletics tradition, and history of producing successful graduates, including eight Rhodes Scholars, three governors, and countless business leaders and innovators. Its distinctive PEAK Curriculum challenges students to attain competency in the four knowledge peaks of humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and a professional field—empowering them to earn a major and three minors in four years. The College’s close-knit, residential campus is located in Caldwell, where its proximity both to Boise and to the world-class outdoor activities of southwest Idaho’s mountains and rivers offers unique opportunities for learning beyond the classroom. For more information, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.