Twenty-five States Represented in Giving Tuesday Gifts
Alumni from the early 2000s lead charge
Benefactors from 25 states and Canada contributed nearly $83,000 to fuel student scholarships and the Builder’s Fund at Buena Vista University on Giving Tuesday on December 2, a day in which nonprofits across the world celebrate philanthropy.
A number of Beaver athletics teams with fundraising efforts that ran simultaneously to Giving Tuesday pushed the number of BVU donors during the celebration to 342 with dollars raised eclipsing $100,000.
“Your Giving Tuesday gift helps students like me continue to learn, grow, and pursue futures we’re truly passionate about. Thank you for believing in us and for being part of our journey.”
-BVU senior Ashley Westering
“Giving Tuesday is a worldwide celebration among nonprofits and Buena Vista University is humbled to be a part of it,” said Sarah Johnson, Senior Director of Alumni and Donor Relations. “We are grateful at how our dedicated alumni and friends open their hearts to make way for incredibly generous gifts back to BVU.”
Alumni from the first decade of the 2000s led the charge with 52 gifts made, followed closely by graduates from the 1990s with 42 gifts contributed on Giving Tuesday. Alumni gifts during the celebration came from seven decades. Fifty-four givers made a donation for the first time.
Beyond scholarships and the new Builder’s Fund, donors earmarked gifts for all sorts of co-curricular programs that ranged from athletics to band and choir to esports to biology to archery to capital improvements. Specific scholarships benefiting students in science, math, nursing, business, and economics were also funded by donors on Giving Tuesday.
If you wish to make a year-end gift, or to give at any time, go to www.bvu.edu/give or call 712.749.2101.
Upcoming philanthropic celebrations at BVU include the Third Annual Beaver Ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Check www.bvu.edu/beaver ball for information.
The entire BVU family also celebrates its own day of philanthropic giving on International Beaver Day, slated for April 7.
“Beyond the connections we make, special occasions like Giving Tuesday represent something much bigger: the chance to support current and future Beavers while helping them achieve their dreams,” Johnson said.
Senior Ashley Westering put in this way: “You may not see the everyday moments your generosity touches; the lab breakthroughs, the conversations with mentors, the late-night study sessions, or the leadership opportunities, but I live them, and I’m grateful for every single one.
“Your Giving Tuesday gift helps students like me continue to learn, grow, and pursue futures we’re truly passionate about. Thank you for believing in us and for being part of our journey.”