The students, faculty, staff and alumni of Florida State University joined forces for 36 hours on Jan. 23 and 24 to raise $193.838.10 duringThe Great Give, the university’s first exclusively online fundraising effort. The university community surpassed the campaign’s $161,000 goal by $32,838.10.
“On behalf of Florida State University and the FSU Foundation, we want to thank everyone who elected to support the university during The Great Give,” said Andy A. Jhanji, executive vice president of the Florida State University Foundation. “We are excited with the results from our first-ever online campaign.”
All of the university’s colleges, programs and funds that support academic and athletic excellence stand to benefit from the campaign, which was a collaboration between the FSU Foundation, Seminole Boosters, the Florida State University Alumni Association and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
“I chose to support The Great Give because I firmly believe in the programs offered at Florida State University,” said Elisha Bender, a higher education major in the College of Education. “By supporting Student Affairs, I am helping to create a culture of giving, and I am proud to show my appreciation to the people and organizations who have shaped my time at FSU!”
“I donated to The Great Give for several reasons — first and foremost, I support FSU,” said Janis Schmauch, an administrative assistant in the Department of Biological Science. “The online donation site using credit/debit cards made it quick and convenient.No check writing. No pledging and getting a bill. And I received instant acknowledgement of my donation. I donated twice, once to the Department of Biological Science and once to an endowed scholarship. What a great idea!”
The date and goal of the campaign were chosen in honor of the 161st anniversary of the Jan. 24, 1851, signing of the charter to create the academic institution that would become Florida State University.