Celebrate Tradition with Triple the Impact
Nov. 29 marks the 10th anniversary of Giving Tuesday, both as a global generosity movement and as an extraordinary day of support from the William & Mary community. This year, donors have the opportunity to triple their impact on the university.
All gifts made online to any area at W&M on Giving Tuesday will be matched with a gift of double the amount (up to $500) to the Fund for William & Mary. That means a $100 gift to scholarships, for example, would automatically be matched with $200 for the Fund for W&M to support the university’s pressing needs. This exciting matched funding opportunity is available thanks to the Jessie Ball duPont Fund as part of the Lightful Bridge Program.
Over the last 10 years, support for W&M has grown almost tenfold, from $69,000 in 2012 to more than $670,000 last year, which set a new Giving Tuesday record. Similarly, gifts increased dramatically to 1,450 last year, up from 192 in 2012. Last year, the median Giving Tuesday gift was $100, with over 1,200 gifts of $250 or less, totaling more than $98,000. Over the past decade, this generosity has added to over 6,000 gifts totaling more than $2.8 million.
“Giving Tuesday reminds us of the remarkable power of philanthropy,” says Vice President for University Advancement Matthew T. Lambert ’99. “On a day when the entire world is supporting the causes that matter most to them, we are deeply grateful that our community has chosen to use this opportunity to make a lasting impact at W&M.”
Of course, the scope and reach of this giving have increased as well. Last year’s giving impacted over 200 areas across W&M, an incredible increase from the 44 areas supported in 2012. Every gift makes a big difference and speaks to a larger community-wide effort focused on supporting the people and programs at W&M.
As the university heads toward the finish line in its All In campaign, all funds raised for women’s athletics scholarships will count toward a $1.5 million challenge provided by an anonymous alumna to increase scholarship support for women athletes. Donors to all women’s athletics programs will be recognized as Women in Action supporters.
Celebrate W&M Football’s winning season as the university heads into the playoffs. Gifts to the Tribe Football Excellence Fund will provide student-athletes with the resources to excel on and off the field and help the team reach its $1 million fundraising goal this year. This is a great opportunity to show what can happen when our entire community goes All In.
In addition, gifts to support scholarships will help unlock a $5,000 challenge gift from another generous alumna. All gifts made on Giving Tuesday will also count toward the annual Fraternity & Sorority Life Alumni Challenge or as a reunion gift for the classes ending in three and eight that will be celebrating a milestone year. Others may support W&M students in building career-ready skills through internships and applied learning opportunities.
Since its inception, Giving Tuesday has become a global movement. In 2021, $2.7 billion was raised in 24 hours across 80 countries. Thirty-five million, or 10% of the U.S. population, participated. It will be exciting to see what can be accomplished this year.
“We encourage and welcome all in our community to join this global tradition to invest in our students, faculty and programs at William & Mary. Each and every single act of generosity makes a difference,” added Lambert.