Katherine Graves, Copy Desk Chief
For Lynchburg College’s second annual Give Day on Thursday, April 6, anonymous donors have challenged the college to raise donations from 2,500 donors, and if this goal is reached, they will donate $75,000 to the college.
Donors can choose to give to a specific section or department of the school or give to the general Annual Fund. Donations must be a minimum of $5 and can be made online, on campus outside Schewel Hall or on the third floor of the Drysdale Student Center or by calling the Give Day’s phonathon.
Donations can be made with cash or card. Anyone can contribute a donation on Give Day and be counted as a donor who will help the college to meet its challenge of 2,500 donors.
“We really want to give donors the opportunity to support what they love most about Lynchburg. That’s what Give Day is all about,” stated the Director of Annual Giving Tom Bentson.
On the Give Day website, donors can give to specific school divisions of the college, such as the School of Sciences or the School of Communication and the Arts. Donors can also give specifically to the fundraiser to purchase a Steinway Piano for the Syndnor Performance Hall.
Donors can also choose to donate to the general Annual Fund or one of its divisions, such as Student Support, Faculty Support or the President’s Fund, which is for the college’s urgent needs.
“This year’s Give Day theme is Love Lynchburg—we are asking the entire Hornet Nation to support what they love most about Lynchburg,” Bentson said.
Dr. Jimmy Roux will be hosting Give Day Live, which will be streamed live to Facebook that day in the Drysdale Student Center. Roux will interview campus leaders and students about why they believe giving is important for the college and how people can support LC’s programs.
This year, the Give Day website will also list people’s names as well as their locations on a map, if donors choose to be identified with their donations.
“If you give $5 or you give $500, no matter what you give, you are helping to make this day a success,” Bentson said.
The college is likely to know the total of their donations by Friday, April 7, stated Bentson, although it may take longer to confirm the totals.
“Give Day is so impactful,” Bentson said. “It’s the best feeling to see everyone come together… I’m excited to see us reach that goal.”
LC will not reveal the identities of the anonymous donors at any time during or after Give Day. The anonymous donors’ identities will only be revealed if the donors choose to reveal themselves, Bentson stated.
At last year’s Give Day, anonymous donors raised the challenge for LC to reach 1,000 donors in 24 hours, and if that goal was reached, the donors would give the school $40,000. The college reached 1,914 donors and raised $163,000.
Bentson stated about creating Give Day, “We wanted to start a tradition on campus that would have a positive impact on the institution. We’d seen other schools’ Give Days too, and we felt strongly that the Lynchburg family would enjoy the day.”
If you would like to make a donation to LC during Give Day, you can visit the event’s website at http://www.lynchburg.edu/alumni-friends/giving/give- day/ or you can make a donation through the Give Day phonathon by calling (434) 544-8297.
If you have any questions about the specifics of Give Day, you can visit the event’s Frequently Asked Questions page at http://www.lynchburg.edu/alumni-friends/giving/give- day/faqs/.
