Students man the phones at the ECSU call center for the second annual Day of Giving fundraising campaign.
A call to Elizabeth City State University donors to dig deep and give big has paid off during the second annual Day of Giving. The 2018 ECSU Day of Giving has set a new record for a single day of fundraising with 1,844 donors giving more than $219,000 to the University.
The ECSU Day of Giving ensures that students receive the vital resources they need to succeed and also provide financial support to northeastern North Carolina.
In 2017, the inaugural campaign raised $137,830 from 1,118 donors. The active influence of ECSU on its alumni and community was on display when donors showed their support by giving to the institution.
“This show of support in real dollars and sheer numbers is a testament to the energy and momentum that Vikings are feeling under the leadership of our Interim Chancellor, Dr. Karrie Dixon,” said. Dr. John Michael Lee, Jr., ECSU Vice Chancellor for University Advancement.
Lee says alumni are excited about the beautification of the campus, the improvements to processes and procedures, and the renewed focus on student recruitment and retention at ECSU. That excitement is growing, he says, and alumni are eager to assist in the growth as it prepares to offer discounted tuition as a North Carolina Promise institution.
“ ECSU stakeholders are ecstatic about the pace the university has set to bring a record number of new student Vikings to Elizabeth City this fall and the participation in giving reflects this excitement,” said Lee.
The ECSU Day of Giving is designed to harness the combined power of social media, mobile phones, email and mailing in driving the spirit of gift-giving. The University reached its participation goal of more than 1,500 donors and exceeded its gift goal of $150,000.
Dozens of Volunteer Champion Fundraisers spread the message through social media, personal emails, phone calls and text messages encouraging others to make their gifts. The emphasis to alumni was that small gifts matter, leveraging extensive participatory giving rather than the size of individual gifts.
“The response that we are getting from our alumni is amazing and shows just how strong Viking Pride really is among alumni and the Elizabeth City community,” said Chorn Poyner, a senior business major at ECSU, President of the Student Government Association, and one of the volunteers at the ECSU call center throughout the Day of Giving.
Donors were given several ways to make their gift throughout the day, including through the text and online giving portal MobileCause, the ECSU website, and a 24-hour telethon. Those who were on campus, including students, faculty, staff and friends, were also given the opportunity to give on-site in the Kennis E. and Brenda E. Wilkins Call Center located at the university’s Student Center.
Incentivized giving challenges took place to encourage participation from key constituent groups. This year’s challenges included the Decade Challenge, Departmental Challenge, Greek Challenge, Student Challenge, “I Give Ten A Month” (IGTAM) Challenge, and the Community Challenge.
ECSU had over 70 community, Greek-letter, student, departmental and alumni organizations participated. ECSU congratulates the winners of each of our challenge winners (Listed below).
DECADE CHALLENGE:
1st Place: 1970s Decade
2nd Place: 1960s Decade
GREEK CHALLENGE:
1st Place: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
2nd Place: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
STUDENT CHALLENGE:
1st Place: ECSU Ladies Tennis Team
2nd Place: ECSU History Scholars Club
DEPARTMENTAL CHALLENGE:
1st Place: Division of University Advancement
2nd Place: Department of Math & Computer Science
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE:
1st Place: Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc.
2nd Place: Elizabeth City Morning Rotary Club
IGTAM “I Give Ten a Month” Challenge:
1st Place: 1990s Decade
2nd Place: 1980s Decade
The Decade Challenge first place winner, the 1970’s Decade, will receive a $2,000 named scholarship to an ECSU student and the second place winner, the 1960’s Decade, will receive a $500 named book award to an ECSU student.
The Greek Challenge first place winner, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., will receive a $2,000 scholarship for one student member of the undergraduate chapter attending ECSU and the second place winner, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., will receive a $500 book award for one student member of the undergraduate chapter attending ECSU.
The Student Challenge first place winner, the ECSU Ladies Tennis Team, will receive a $2,000 activity grant and the second place winner, the ECSU History Scholars Club, will receive a $1,000 activity grant. The Departmental Challenge first place winner, Division of University Advancement, will receive a $2,000 resource award for faculty, staff and students to attend professional conferences, and the second place winner, Department of Math & Computer Science, will receive a $1,000 resource award.
The Community Challenge first place winner, Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc., will receive $3,000 to support any community-based initiative and the second place winner, Elizabeth City Morning Rotary Club, will receive $1,000 to support any community-based initiative. ECSU believes in the power of engaging with our community to serve as partners for positive change.
The IGTAM “I Give Ten A Month” Challenge first place winner, the 1990’S Decade will receive a $2,000 named scholarship to an ECSU student and the second place winner, the 1980’S Decade will receive a $500 named book award to an ECSU student.
The Day of Giving serves as a platform for the University to stimulate fundraising across many sectors of donors. In addition, it provided the opportunity for the University to expand its consistent effort of building a culture of community and philanthropy through social media. The University is most grateful to its donors and volunteers for forming the community that achieved this overwhelming success. While the challenges are over, alumni are still encouraged to give to the ECSU Day of Giving at www.ecsu.edu/ecsugives.
