William Jessup University Fundraising Sets a Record with Give:24
William Jessup University fundraising took a new social-media-driven approach with its Give:24 initiative. The one-day effort exceeded its $24,000 goal, raising more than $38,000 for student scholarships, university departments, and external missions.
- Staff, faculty, and administrators asked 24 friends and family members to give $24 each.
- Give:24 raised more than $38,000, surpassing the university’s $24,000 goal.
- Funds were designated for student scholarships, school departments, and external missions.
By Jennifer Taylor
This fall, William Jessup University (Rocklin, CA) tried a new approach to fund-raising—and set a record in the process.
Vice President for Advancement Eric Hogue had three goals: to recruit new donors, help WJU students, and to raise the money without taking the staff away from work. “Give:24” accomplished all three.
Every member of the staff, faculty, and administration was encouraged to participate by asking 24 friends and family members to give $24 each. They made the requests and promoted the effort via social media and e-mail during the month of August; donors could give online during the 24 hours of September 8.
Give:24 Exceeds Its Fundraising Goal
“We were shooting for $24,000, but as of today we’ve raised more than $38,000,” Hogue said a few weeks after the event.
The school says that according to a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy survey, the previous one-day record for fund-raising using social media was $20,000.
The University Fund, a scholarship fund for students, will receive 40 percent of the money, and 50 percent will be divided among each of the school’s departments. Ten percent of the total was “tithed” to external missions, with each department choosing one recipient.
In future efforts, Hogue hopes to offer the option to give via text message; also under consideration is pooling the tithe money for one big gift or campus project.
