Thanks to an overwhelming show of support by members of the VMI family, VMI’s 2024 Day of Giving, held Feb. 29, raised $272,646 for the benefit of the Corps of Cadets.
Billed as “An Extra Day for VMI” because of the leap day date, the Day of Giving attracted 1,148 donors. The overwhelming majority of gifts—83%—came from alumni, with the remainder of the day’s strong support provided by parents, friends, and faculty and staff.
“Every year, we have the ability to make a positive impact on the Corps of Cadets,” said Andrew Deal ’12, VMI Keydet Club chief operating officer and Alumni Agencies chief development officer. “The Day of Giving presents an opportunity for the VMI family to rally around and unite to make a difference. It was very encouraging to see the level of support that we received and know that we, collectively, will make a difference.”
A robust social media presence in the days before the campaign resulted in more than 120 early gifts, and once the campaign kicked off, gifts poured in with regularity. By noon, the original goal of 500 donors had been surpassed. By mid-afternoon, the next goal of 700 donors had been easily met, and even the final goal, 839 donors, was achieved well before midnight Feb. 29.
Supporters had the opportunity to direct their gifts to one of eight areas: Unrestricted giving, academic excellence, cadet life, Call to Duty Scholarships, scholarship enrichment, athletics, the Center for Leadership and Ethics, or a gift to a specific scholarship, team, etc. of their choice.
Of those, the largest number of donors, more than 375, chose unrestricted giving—an area of critical need because unrestricted funds can be allocated quickly to the areas of greatest need. A gift to the area of the donor’s choice was the second most popular choice, followed by athletics, scholarship enrichment, Call to Duty scholarships, cadet life, academic excellence, and the Center for Leadership and Ethics.
As an incentive for friendly competition and participation, the classes with the highest participation and the highest dollar amounts raised were offered the chance to have their class year on Moe’s jersey during home football and basketball games. With 113 donors, the Class of 1993 won the participation challenge, while the Class of 1991 took top honors in the highest amount raised category, with $16,663 raised.
Throughout the day, members of the VMI family could watch the campaign’s progress online and via social media. By midnight Feb. 29, donors from 47 states and many foreign countries had shown their support and belief in the critical importance of VMI’s mission.
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Mary Price Development Writer/Communications Specialist
The development writer plays a key role in producing advancement communications. This role imagines, creates, and produces a variety of written communication to inspire donors to make gifts benefiting VMI. Utilizing journalistic features and storytelling, the development writer will produce content for areas such as Annual Giving, stewardship, and gift planning.
