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Record Amount Raised to Benefit Student Well-Being, Educational Accessibility, and Inclusive Excellence

Nearly $5.5 million received on 10th Anniversary Day of Giving
April 13, 2023
By Lisa Robinson
SCU students walking outside the Mission Church

It was another record-breaking year, as Broncos from across the country came together to support Santa Clara University’s 10th Annual Day of Giving (DoG). In a stampede of generosity and care, alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends made 6,078 donations totaling nearly $5.5 million to support the University’s vision of educating citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world.

Leaning on Jesuit values this year’s event, themed Broncos Helping Broncos, also incorporated service opportunities. The SCU Student Red Cross Club co-sponsored an American Red Cross blood drive that saw nearly a dozen volunteers and 45 blood donation appointments—many from first-time donors. The Division of Mission and Ministry also sponsored a food drive to benefit the Bronco Food Pantry. Three full barrels of non-perishable food items and hygiene items were collected for the pantry.

“In just 24 hours, we unlocked an entire world of transformative opportunities for SCU and its students,” said James Lyons, vice president for University Relations. “The energy and enthusiasm that this milestone Day of Giving generated is worth many times the money we raised. It’s about coming together to help one another and to help our community.”

This year’s DoG also set a new record for the number of donor challenges issued (115) and a new record for the amount raised from challenges ($2.6 million). The day began with a $1,000,000 challenge from Steve ('92, MBA '01) and Susan Sordello to match gifts to Bronco Athletics dollar-for-dollar.

Challenge donors either matched donations to specific programs dollar-for-dollar or rewarded participation by unlocking their gifts when a specific donor threshold was met. Challenges were issued to support almost every area of campus, including one from SCU President Julie Sullivan, who with her husband Bob, offered to match all gifts made to the LEAD Scholars Program up to $10,000 on the Day of Giving.

A few of the other challenges included:

  • The Schaefer Family matched all donations, dollar-for-dollar, to the Wellness Center up to $10,000.
  • Two challenges of $20,000 each, from the Matt Family and from Joelle Lam ’04—for the Black Excellence Scholarship Fund were unlocked after 150 gifts were made and $20,000 in donations was reached.
  • After 250 gifts were made to Inclusive Excellence initiatives, a $10,000 gift from Cia and Pat Donohoe to the Inclusive Excellence Fund was unlocked.
  • More than 175 gifts were made and $45,000 was raised for climate neutrality projects at Santa Clara, unlocking two challenges totaling $50,000 from alumna Dorian Daley J.D. ’86., Hon. ’19, and her husband Michael Krautkramer.
  • 25 gifts to the Healthcare Innovation Fellowship fund unlocked a $35,000 donation from Jay and CJ Bhalla.
  • After more than 100 gifts were made to the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and $25,000 raised, a $55,000 gift from Cynthia Schmae Nimmo ‘92, Arthur Combs, Manoj Jain, and an anonymous donor was unlocked.

Among the units that raised the most money were:

  • Athletics ($2,020,724 from 2,041 gifts)
  • Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship ($985,350 from 88 gifts)
  • School of Engineering ($445,410 from 420 gifts)
  • Santa Clara Law ($332,038 from 359 gifts)
  • Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education ($275,785 from 167 gifts)

In all, the proceeds will support over 30 different schools, programs, or centers at Santa Clara in their missions of educating “whole persons” for excellence in service to humanity.

The 10th Annual DoG also included musical performances, chair massages for students, boba, lawn games, and prizes hidden around campus. The one-day effort was supported by months of planning by dozens of University employees. Among the upfront work:

  • Dozens of social media teams across campus created short videos and social media content exhorting supporters to give to that particular program.
  • More than 300 social-media posts were shared across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The full results for the day can be found on the Day of Giving website.