In order to encourage the Lawrence community to give to their favorite area of the college, the sixth Annual Lawrence Giving Day will occur on Thursday, Oct. 10. This one-day-only fundraising event will include a live online show as well as new challenges and pop up events throughout the day to involve students.
Last year’s Giving Day raised over $1.79 million from nearly 3,000 donors. Giving Day’s success is largely due to the fact that any gift given is matched dollar-for-dollar by Lawrence Game Changers.
These Game Changers include alumni as well as friends and family of Lawrence University who have committed to match donations from others in order to give to the Lawrence Fund. The majority of the money raised on Giving Day goes to the Lawrence Fund, which affects every Lawrentian and ensures the most flexibility with the money.
Aside from matching each dollar, Game Changers have also committed to match gifts made by members of the classes of 2003-2023 with $500. Additional Game Changer funds are unlocked throughout different challenges designed to further involve donors and students.
These challenges include encouraging the Lawrence community to reach 1,000 donors before noon, share the Giving Day Facebook post 200 times, tag 150 people in the Lawrence University Facebook post, complete all of the Lawrence Word Puzzles and get involved with a mystery challenge.
New pop-up events are particularly geared toward students, according to Assistant Director of Annual Giving Sarah Schlichter, in order to encourage students to have fun as well as “educate them on the importance and impact of philanthropy.” Pop-up events will include a trivia game, a photo booth, a cash cab, an instrument challenge and more.
Participation in these events results in punches on each student’s punch card, which will be given to them at their first activity. Each punch will enter them into the Giving Day Student Giveaway for a chance to win a basket of gift cards, coupons and other items. At each event students also have the possibility to win other prizes.
The first 25 people to arrive at each of the following events will also receive a free Giving Day t-shirt: Spin the Wheel Trivia Event, Make Some Noise for Giving Day Event and What’s on the Menu for Giving Day. Check the Lawrence University Calendar of Events for specific times and locations.
In the evening, the Giving Day activities continue with a game of The Price is Right from 8 to 9 p.m. in the Mead Witter room of Warch Campus Center as well as the live online show airing from 7 to 8 p.m.
The online show will feature Lawrence alumnus and American Broadcasting Company (ABC) News Correspondent Terry Moran ’82. The show will feature interviews with faculty, campus updates and highlights from students.
With 98% of Lawrentians receiving some sort of financial aid, Giving Day is an opportunity for students to share their gratitude and milestones with donors as well as their peers.
Along with other scholarships and grants, Lawrence University also has a Full Speed to Full Need campaign, which, according to the Lawrence website, seeks to “make Lawrence an institution that meets 100% of every student’s financial need.”