SRU Foundation reschedules annual Giving Day for May 1 with new focus
April 24, 2020
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Slippery Rock University's 2020 Giving Day, originally scheduled for March 26, has been rescheduled for May 1 with a new focus, given the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic that caused the postponement.
Giving Day, the fourth annual fundraiser organized by the Slippery Rock University Foundation, Inc., will also be billed as a Day of Caring, as organizers emphasize donations to the Student Support Fund and the Continued Success Scholarship to meet the immediate needs of SRU students.
The Continued Success Scholarship and the Student Support Fund are recommended for donors who don't have a specific student organization, academic department or other specific program in mind. There's also the Founders' Society, which is a giving level of $1,000 or more to create a new scholarship or support an existing scholarship, program or project.
"Community continues to be at the heart of what we do at SRU," said Erin Bryer, assistant director of development, annual giving, for the SRU Foundation. "We're stronger when we come together as a community and this is an opportunity to support one another, especially our students as they continue to pursue their degrees and adjust to changes during these unprecedented times."
The Student Support Fund offsets students' short-term, immediate financial needs, such as emergency medical and travel expenses, as well as books, supplies, housing, groceries and other essential needs; while the Continued Success Scholarship is a scholarship fund that helps current SRU students continue along the path to pursue their degree, even when it seems fiscally impossible.
People interested in supporting SRU through the Giving Day campaign can visit the website, givingday.sru.edu, where they can designate their gift to any area on campus they would like to support. A link to the Giving Day website will also be provided on a link on the SRU website, sru.edu, on May 1.
"The growth that we've had the last four years has matched the excitement and participation from our faculty, staff, students and alumni," Bryer said. "For our alumni, this is an opportunity to learn more about the different projects, student organizations and athletic teams, and find ways to support the University in areas that matter (to them). Giving Day ends up being a really cool way for us to highlight a lot of the wonderful things that have already happened and that are going to happen at SRU because of financial support from our donors."
Last year, more than 1,700 donors participated, raising more than $139,000 that went directly to 176 areas of campus, including more than $17,000 raised for student clubs and organizations.
The SRU Foundation partnered with the Slippery Rock Student Government Association for a challenge, where the SRSGA matched up to $3,000 for the student club or organization that raised the most money on Giving Day 2019. The winner of the challenge was Campus Crusade for Christ, which raised $2,705. The $3,000 challenge will return for 2020 Giving Day.
Additionally, the SRU Foundation will award cash prizes to men's and women's athletic teams that bring in the top three total number of donors: $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place.
This year's largest challenge match will be a $25,000 dollar-for-dollar match from Jan Hollack, '67, in support of the Continued Success Scholarship. SRU President William Behre and his wife, Leah Ingram, will kick off SRU Giving Day 2020 with a leadership donation to the Continued Success Scholarship.
To learn about all Giving Day opportunities, visit givingday.sru.edu. Participants are encouraged to use the hashtag #SRUGivingDay on social media to connect the SRU community on May 1.
In addition to donating online, Giving Day participants can contribute by mail to: SRU Foundation, Inc., 104 Maltby Ave., Suite 100, Slippery Rock, PA, 16057.
For questions and comments regarding Giving Day, email givingday@sru.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zackal | 724.738.4854 | justin.zackal@sru.edu