By Joseph D’Andrea
Adelphi held their sixth annual fundraising event, Giving Day, beginning on the morning of April 19 and ending at noon the following day — 1,896 minutes, honoring the university’s founding year. Donors, volunteers, ambassadors and others worked together with a number of campaigns to raise $481,430 from a record-breaking 1,902 donors.
This year’s Giving Day saw an increase of 9 percent in the number of donors from 2022, and the funds will be contributing to scholarships, high-impact learning experiences and life-changing student-centered programs.
“Giving Day provides an opportunity for our entire community to come together in a spirit of philanthropy to support the causes that matter most to them,” said Thomas Kline, vice president of University Advancement and External Relations in an email to the Adelphi community. “The impact of Giving Day is tremendous; it provides resources to ensure our students continue to receive exceptional and transformative learning experiences.”
Through the contributions of alumni, current campus leaders, trustees and parents, the funds amounted to a 68 percent increase over last year. Leading all campaigns in donations was the Athletics Department, which received $176,955 from 885 donors.
“The commitment and support of the Adelphi Panther community was on display during the Giving Day 2023 campaign,” said Danny McCabe, director of Athletics and Campus Recreation. “Our alumni, friends and Adelphi families gave at record levels in support of our Panthers. The funds raised from this campaign will go towards helping us provide the best possible experience for our student-athletes. We appreciate our dedicated alumni, families and friends.”
The baseball team raised the most funds with $27,290 and the track and field programs had the most donors, at 171.
Adelphi’s School of Business raised $78,039 from 105 donors, another new record for the school. Other campaigns that benefitted include the Adelphi Fund, which supports the University’s strategic priorities and builds the foundation for student success, which received $40,891 from 187 donors, as well as the Women’s Giving Circle, an organization that aims to promote female leaders of creative projects by and for the Adelphi community, which exceeded its goal, earning $24,783.
“We are tremendously grateful to our Giving Day supporters,” said MaryAnne Hyland, dean of the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business. “We exceeded our goal of $75,000 in donations and had several successful matching challenges. We also had 100 percent participation from the Dean's Advisory Board and over 60 percent participation from our faculty. We are delighted to have this support to provide life changing co-curricular experiences for our students.”
Among other donations were the $18,332 received by the Honors College and the Alice Brown Early Learning Center, which earned $20,410.
Kline said, “Giving Day is a team effort. My entire staff and I — as well as a number of volunteers from across the community — were working in the Command Center, located in the University Center, to send solicitations to donors, thank donors, and impart a philanthropic spirit to the campus community.”
Kline said he is “very pleased” with the outcome of the event, and explained that the donations will be used to support 21 causes and programs on campus, ranging from academics and research to athletics and specialized programs to a general Adelphi Fund.
While the campaign ended on April 20, contributions are still being accepted.