“I do like that it’s a tradition, it’s become tradition and we always say that it’s our hope that it creates a culture of philanthropy at Waynesburg,” Maura Fenske, coordinator of development and alumni relations, said.

Nov. 2, marks the Day of Giving for Waynesburg University, and all initiatives have the opportunity to participate.

According to Fenske, “[The Day of Giving] creates an atmosphere that you want to be a part of and a huge part of that is just by giving a small donation and being able to participate in fun things but then also you remember it. You can give back to an area that impacted you.” 

During the week of the event there will be a number of activities hosted by the Alumni Relations Office, the Student Activities Board and Pat Bristor, including Harvest Fest on Oct. 31.

“The Office of Institutional Advancement is partnering with the SAB to create many exciting campus activities throughout Day of Giving week. We will be awarding prizes for the best costumes during the Costume Run, participating in Halloween Bingo and Harvest Fest, holding a SWARM and hosting a Day of Giving Celebration to thank the campus for their participation in DOG,” Donna Nypaver, director of donor relations and annual giving, said via email.

David Floyd, director of development and alumni relations, stated, “I just feel like that really helps build up the excitement for the day and gets the word out and ultimately helps to instill that culture of philanthropy on the campus as well that when students start to see the importance of the donations coming in and what they help do.”

“People remember things we did on the day of giving whether that’s fun activities or food they had at the cafe or things they did with their own departments,” Fenske said.

The alumni relations and University relations teams have a few goals going into the 2023 Day of Giving. The monetary goal for this year is to raise over $250,000 according to Nypaver. Floyd shared another goal of soliciting participation beyond donors and reaching into the campus community as well.

“Day of Giving is our annual fundraising event where we ask the entire Waynesburg University community to come together and support the University. On November 2, we will once again unite for the University’s eighth annual Day of Giving fundraising event. The University wanted to offer our supporters the opportunity to give to a specific department or program that they are passionate about. We also wanted to get the campus involved and assist them in raising funds for their immediate needs,” Nypaver said.

Since the alumni relations team started the Day of Giving eight years ago, they have evolved each year. Floyd stated, “…We have increased the dollars raised each year.”

“We’ve continued to try to digitally make things easier for our supporters while offering Google Pay and Apple Pay and Venmo and pay pal, and trying to have that page that shows all the different initiatives that are going on on campus so that supporters really get a chance to see something that really resonates with them and give back to that,” Floyd said.

Navigating through the pandemic was a bit different than previous years because the campus fund was the main focus, but their goals have since shifted.

“Of course, we have got our 175^th anniversary fund, but outside of that everything is going 100% back to the departments and teams and programs,” Floyd said

The brick initiative for the 175^th anniversary will count as Day of Giving gifts and serve as a “One-time opportunity to leave your legacy on campus, while supporting our greatest needs,” Nypaver said. 

The alumni relations and university relations teams shared their gratitude for supporters on the Day of Giving.

“[The University is] just really grateful for the campus support we receive every year because there is no way we would be able to pull off the day and the numbers were typically able to see without everyone on campus in so many different departments and teams and programs and everyone else pitching in in addition to all of our alumni and friends too,” Floyd said.

“We remain humbled and blessed by the generosity of our alumni and friends.  It is very heartwarming to see Waynesburg University alumni, friends, students, parents, faculty and staff unite for something we are all very passionate about, Waynesburg University,” Nypaver said.

It can be tough to compete with some of the larger surrounding universities, especially as Fenske stated, budgets can only stretch so far.

“We see a huge number of alumni who had graduated in the last 8 years, which is when we started giving back because even if it’s not a lot they’ll still give $20 to their department or their team or wherever they participated or are passionate about which is really cool,” Fenske said.

Today, alumni relations and University relations have many examples of alumni making things possible for Waynesburg University.

“Wiley, that’s like our primary example right now, that was just an anonymous donor who out of the kindness of their heart wanted to transform that space because they saw where areas were lacking…,” Fenske said.