Giving back to help the future: Day of Giving recap

“We’ve been using the term record breaking because factually it was,” David Floyd, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, said. 

As the clock struck midnight last night, Waynesburg University’s Day of Giving hit its largest total ever. The final total was $600,334, and the total number of donors was 980, the largest in the history of the Day of Giving. Floyd said that the goal was to get 350 alumni donors. The university received 355. 

According to Floyd, this year’s event was a success.

Floyd attributed the success to others who were involved.

“Every year, the Day of Giving is a true team effort. Donna Nypaver, our Director of Donor Relations and Annual Giving, has been the point person for Day of Giving for a number of years now, so she is the one keeping our Office of Institutional Advancement staff organized as we plan and implement the event,” he said.

Each year, there are winners in academics and in athletics, as well as the overall winner. The winner is traditionally announced in the Benedum Dining Hall at noon the next day. The winners are given extra money as a reward to help further benefit their programs.

In the previous three years, the academic winner was the biblical and ministry department. “I am truly grateful for the donors, alumni, family, and friends that give back to the biblical and ministry [department]. All gifts go directly to beyond the classroom learning experiences,” Josh Sumpter, assistant professor of biblical and ministry studies and university chaplain, said. 

“Each semester, students have received ministry training resources and have been able to visit local pastors for workshops,” Sumpter said. 

All of these funds have been able to assist students in exploring faith and how they can better prepare for their ministry careers. 

“Over the last several years, BMS majors and minors have been able to attend the Pittsburgh Youth Workers Conference, CCO Jubilee Conference, Pittsburgh’s Center for Play & Exploration, Passion Conference, and the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.,” Sumpter said. 

Sumpter noted that students have not only received extra ministry training, but also have received free clothes from the Department using the funds earned.

Floyd said the entire campus community, which includes faculty, staff, students, alumni, and others, all play a part in making the Day of Giving the success they envision it to be. One of the more notable programs, according to Floyd, would be entrepreneurial Leadership, which Floyd labeled as “integral” in making each Day of Giving a success.

A number of university records were eclipsed this year, exceeding the previous high in total amount by over 200,000 dollars, increasing the number of donations from the previous year by more than three hundred and reaching the alumni donor goal, which unlocked an additional $10,000 from an alumni donor and Board of Trustee member, Fred DePalma (’79).

Despite the overwhelming benefits that go into the end goal of the Day of Giving, Floyd said there are challenges that accompany the endeavor.

“With an event that has as many components and as many people involved as Day of Giving, there is always the challenge of ensuring all of the details are handled. Fortunately, we have such a great team in Institutional Advancement—and across the University—to ensure that happens,” he said

Floyd noted the lesser recognized, yet just as rewarding portions of the Day of Giving.

“While seeing all of the donations come in is certainly rewarding, equally as rewarding is seeing some of the encouraging notes donors leave as to why they give and the type of impact Waynesburg University has had on them, their friends, their family and/or their community,” he said.

While the Day of Giving has concluded, any donations one desires to make towards an academic department, athletic program, group, or to Waynesburg University by itself, there will be an option on the university’s website, which also includes the statistics from the Day of Giving event.