WSSU Giving Tuesday raises record $87,000
The Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Foundation has set a university record for one-day giving, raising more than $87,000 in 24 hours.
WSSU Giving Tuesday, which was held on Dec. 4, smashed this year’s goal of $50,000. The one-day event also set a Giving Tuesday record for the number of individual donors, with 837 alumni, faculty, staff and friends donating.
Isaac Moore, director of alumni engagement, said he and others in University Advancement knew the day was going to be big when the live tally showed $25,000 by 11 a.m.
“It was humbling to see how our alumni are invested in our institution,” Moore said. “We were seeing alumni who were giving and sharing all across the country. This speaks to the power of our alumni.”
Moore said this year’s theme – “You Give. Your Way.” – connected with alumni and other donors. Through the campaign, donors could set up fundraising campaigns online and share their gifts and campaigns through social media. Donors also could choose to support more than a dozen program areas or designate their own.
WSSU Giving Tuesday also relied on traditional fundraising, with alumni, faculty and staff volunteers working a phone bank on campus and in the Midwest, and Advancement staff going to offices on campus to collect checks and cash gifts from faculty and staff.
Moore says moving the giving day to Dec. 4 – a week after the national Giving Tuesday – allowed alumni more time to focus just on WSSU.
Gifts on WSSU Giving Tuesday ranged from $1 to $10,000, with 10 gifts of $1,000 or more.
WSSU’s previous Giving Tuesday record was in 2016, when 479 donors gave $48,000 to WSSU.
About the WSSU Foundation
Founded in 1970, the Winston-Salem State University Foundation Inc. is private, non-profit organization that focuses on the long-term needs of the university and enhances the efficiency of its fundraising efforts. For more information, please visit the WSSU Foundation website.
About Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region and beyond. Guided by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.
