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What Makes a Great Giving Day? Lessons from Three Institutions That Crushed Their Goals
Running a Giving Day can feel like juggling a dozen things at once. There’s planning, promotion, tech, student engagement, internal buy-in, and of course, raising money. All of it leads up to 24 or 48 hours of high-energy impact.
But when done right, it’s about more than just the dollars. A great Giving Day builds momentum, sparks school spirit, and turns passive supporters into passionate advocates.
In this panel discussion, we heard from three of our partner institutions: the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM), and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE).
Whether you're a one-person team or part of a larger shop, there's something in here for everyone.
Here’s what we learned:
UNCSA: Pickles, Participation & Personalisation
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is small and mighty, and its Giving Day strategy proves it. With just 1,300 students, they shifted from a "one day, one fund" approach to a fully donor-centric model offering more than 40 giving areas.
✅ Wins:
• $166K raised before the Giving Day began via match challenges
• 100% participation from campus leadership and boards
• A shift from a single fund to 40+ donor-choice funds led to a massive jump in support
🎨 Creative strategies:
• Pickle Socks: Designed by students. Unlocked with a $100 gift. Voted on via Instagram. Now a beloved campus tradition.
• Pickle Prowl: Giant stuffed pickles hidden around campus with clues. Winners directed $500 challenge funds to areas they cared about.
“We had students during the day calling their parents. Say you've got to make a gift to this fund because I've got to have a pair of these socks.” – Shannon Wright, UNCSA
➡️ View UNCSA’s Giving Day page
MSUM: Smart Segmentation + Internal Buy-In = Big Wins
Minnesota State University Moorhead focused not just on campaigns, but culture. With 65,000 alumni and a Giving Day history that had some ups and downs, they honed in on three big ideas:
✅ Wins:
• $40,000 in repeat gifts from automated thank-you videos
• Faculty-crafted emails brought in personal stories and donations
• Real-time check presentations every 30 minutes on Facebook Live
💡How they pulled it off:
• Automated thank-you videos were recorded by deans, coaches, or students and sent within hours of a gift
• They even partnered with a local radio station to broadcast Giving Day stories and updates live over lunch
• Students wrote thank-you cards in exchange for bonus dollars toward their favorite fund
We can publicize things on Facebook and on all the different social channels and we can do all the TikToks and all the radio stuff, but it's the one-on-one ask… that’s really the big piece. – Steve Sjoberg, MSUM
SIUE: Going Big with Major Gifts and Student Org Fundraising
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville didn’t just beat their goal — they crushed it. Their “One Day, One SIUE” campaign brought in $2.87M, including major gifts and first-time donors.
✅ Wins:
• Over 1,000 new donors and 7 new scholarship endowments
• 22 student orgs raised $11,000 in just 2 weeks
• Major gifts were locked in early, creating match momentum
💡How they pulled it off:
• Branded theme: They partnered with a major donor from Worldwide Technology Raceway and built the day around a race theme — complete with an IndyCar on campus and themed giveaways
• Student org fundraising: Groups competed for $250 bonuses and recognition at check presentations during the big quad event
• Smooth backend: Almabase helped eliminate split gift issues and synced seamlessly with Blackbaud NXT, cutting processing time from 3–4 weeks to just 3 days
The best way we thought we could get students involved was by letting them take action themselves. Once they had ownership, everything changed — they raised over $11,000 in just two weeks.” – Brandon Sweeney, SIUE
Wrapping Up
Each of these institutions proved there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for Giving Day success. From pickle socks to race cars, from handwritten thank-you notes to automated stewardship workflows — what matters most is building a campaign that feels authentic to your community.
Curious to hear the full conversation? 🎥 Watch the complete panel discussion here and get inspired by the strategies, stories, and small tweaks that made a big difference.
Running a Giving Day can feel like juggling a dozen things at once. There’s planning, promotion, tech, student engagement, internal buy-in, and of course, raising money. All of it leads up to 24 or 48 hours of high-energy impact.
But when done right, it’s about more than just the dollars. A great Giving Day builds momentum, sparks school spirit, and turns passive supporters into passionate advocates.
In this panel discussion, we heard from three of our partner institutions: the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM), and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE).
Whether you're a one-person team or part of a larger shop, there's something in here for everyone.
Here’s what we learned:
UNCSA: Pickles, Participation & Personalisation
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is small and mighty, and its Giving Day strategy proves it. With just 1,300 students, they shifted from a "one day, one fund" approach to a fully donor-centric model offering more than 40 giving areas.
✅ Wins:
• $166K raised before the Giving Day began via match challenges
• 100% participation from campus leadership and boards
• A shift from a single fund to 40+ donor-choice funds led to a massive jump in support
🎨 Creative strategies:
• Pickle Socks: Designed by students. Unlocked with a $100 gift. Voted on via Instagram. Now a beloved campus tradition.
• Pickle Prowl: Giant stuffed pickles hidden around campus with clues. Winners directed $500 challenge funds to areas they cared about.
“We had students during the day calling their parents. Say you've got to make a gift to this fund because I've got to have a pair of these socks.” – Shannon Wright, UNCSA
➡️ View UNCSA’s Giving Day page
MSUM: Smart Segmentation + Internal Buy-In = Big Wins
Minnesota State University Moorhead focused not just on campaigns, but culture. With 65,000 alumni and a Giving Day history that had some ups and downs, they honed in on three big ideas:
✅ Wins:
• $40,000 in repeat gifts from automated thank-you videos
• Faculty-crafted emails brought in personal stories and donations
• Real-time check presentations every 30 minutes on Facebook Live
💡How they pulled it off:
• Automated thank-you videos were recorded by deans, coaches, or students and sent within hours of a gift
• They even partnered with a local radio station to broadcast Giving Day stories and updates live over lunch
• Students wrote thank-you cards in exchange for bonus dollars toward their favorite fund
We can publicize things on Facebook and on all the different social channels and we can do all the TikToks and all the radio stuff, but it's the one-on-one ask… that’s really the big piece. – Steve Sjoberg, MSUM
SIUE: Going Big with Major Gifts and Student Org Fundraising
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville didn’t just beat their goal — they crushed it. Their “One Day, One SIUE” campaign brought in $2.87M, including major gifts and first-time donors.
✅ Wins:
• Over 1,000 new donors and 7 new scholarship endowments
• 22 student orgs raised $11,000 in just 2 weeks
• Major gifts were locked in early, creating match momentum
💡How they pulled it off:
• Branded theme: They partnered with a major donor from Worldwide Technology Raceway and built the day around a race theme — complete with an IndyCar on campus and themed giveaways
• Student org fundraising: Groups competed for $250 bonuses and recognition at check presentations during the big quad event
• Smooth backend: Almabase helped eliminate split gift issues and synced seamlessly with Blackbaud NXT, cutting processing time from 3–4 weeks to just 3 days
The best way we thought we could get students involved was by letting them take action themselves. Once they had ownership, everything changed — they raised over $11,000 in just two weeks.” – Brandon Sweeney, SIUE
Wrapping Up
Each of these institutions proved there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for Giving Day success. From pickle socks to race cars, from handwritten thank-you notes to automated stewardship workflows — what matters most is building a campaign that feels authentic to your community.
Curious to hear the full conversation? 🎥 Watch the complete panel discussion here and get inspired by the strategies, stories, and small tweaks that made a big difference.
Blackbaud, the leading provider of software for powering social impact, and Almabase, the digital-first alumni engagement solution, have announced the expansion of their partnership to the education sectors of Canada and the United Kingdom. The partnership will provide institutions with a modern, digital-first solution to improve constituent data, drive self-serve engagement, and boost event participation.
A Unified Vision
The partnership aligns with Blackbaud’s commitment to customer-centric innovation across digital engagement, Advancement CRM, and financials.
“Partners bring integrated capabilities that extend capabilities and outcomes for Blackbaud customers. We are thrilled that Almabase’s offering, integrated with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and leveraging Blackbaud’s best-in-class payment solution, Blackbaud Merchant Services™, is now available to even more of our customers around the world.”
- Liz Price, Sr. Director of Global Partners at Blackbaud
