Robert Stone
A student looks at the Giving Day website where information regarding how much money has been donated and how many donors have participated.
After a slow start, UMKC’s Annual Giving Day event managed to collect $1,211,910, almost five times more than the campus’s original goal of $250,000.
The event, which is mostly focused on alumni and other non-student associates of the school, offers matching donations and extra gifts if certain goals are met.
“The support from the community is important to show our students that they have people in their corner,” said Kaity Woody, assistant vice chancellor of alumni relations and annual giving. “People can choose to give to any cause or scholarship that they would like to support.”
While very few of the specific programs and organizations reached their personal goals, the support was still very strong this year with 534 total donors.
“We more than doubled last year’s Giving Day record and broke $1 million,” said Amanda Davis, the school’s chief advancement officer and UMKC foundation president in a statement. “This year’s success really highlights how our UMKC community values and invests in our university and our students.”
Giving Day can also be seen as a way to look into the different causes and specific organizations that the UMKC community values.
The five highest earning causes this year were:
Student Success earning $34,895.
Alumni earning $19,055.
University Priorities earning $15,305.
Conservatory earning $12, 975.
Dentistry earning $10,350.
However, while these causes earned the highest amount, the list of causes with the most donors is different:
Student Success with 190 donors.
Alumni with 139 donors.
University Priorities with 50 donors.
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences with 41 donors.
The School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences with 26 donors.
Giving Day also featured a vote dubbed “Roos Choose.” This allowed those who visited the website to vote for one organization to earn an extra $500. The winner of this vote for the second year in a row was The First Gen Roos organization.
“Giving Day allows us to support the incoming class of First Gen Roo Scholars by providing basic necessities that make the transition from high school to college a little easier,” said Megan Elsen, director of First Gen Roo “These funds help us purchase essential items such as school supplies and hygiene products, ensuring our students start their college journey with the resources they need.”
Rswtk@umsystem.edu