FSU’s Great Give, the university’s 36-hour online giving campaign, surpassed its previous year’s total, raising $133,024 for academic programs and scholarships.
“Each college and unit within the university created their own featured project for funding, and we saw many of these projects surpass their goals,” said Marjorie Mahan, assistant director of annual giving at the Florida State University Foundation.
The third annual event, which took place April 17-18, not only exceeded Florida State University’s goal by 16 percent, it also saw an increase in the number of donors and the average gift amount.
More than 1,200 donors contributed an average gift of $106 to a wide variety of projects and initiatives.
The university’s Marching Chiefs, for example, raised more than $19,000 — more than three times their goal — to purchase new brass instruments.
“The FSU Marching Chiefs are a testament to how the power of social media and grassroots efforts can have a large impact during a campaign like FSU’s Great Give,” Mahan said.
The campaign saw an additional six colleges and units who exceeded their initial funding goals for projects benefiting the University Libraries, the Student Leadership Development Fund and the Division of Student Affairs Family Fund, among others.
This year’s Great Give teamed up with the 25 for 25 Faculty and Staff Campaign, which supports Florida State’s goal of achieving a Top 25 ranking among all public universities. Any online gift made during FSU’s Great Give with a denomination of 25 — $25, $125 or $2,500 and so on — counted toward both campaigns.
The fourth annual FSU’s Great Give has been scheduled for April 16-17, 2015.
Those who did not make a contribution during FSU’s Great Give may still make a gift to the university by visiting foundation.fsu.edu/gift or calling (850) 644-6000.