Fordham had its seventh annual Giving Day. It started on April 17 at 12 p.m. and closed on April 18 at midnight. Giving Days are fundraising events that are meant to raise money, increase engagement and bring people together. The theme for Fordham’s seventh annual Giving Day is “Ignite Change!” In 2021, the fifth annual Giving Day raised $1,325,033, and in 2022, the sixth annual Giving Day raised $1,540,483 in donations.

Neil Stevenson, Fordham Fund officer, explained that the theme is inspired by the Jesuit mission.
“As a Jesuit university, Fordham always challenges its students to live the mission and go forth and set the world aflame. Because of that, we really wanted to emphasize that making donations to Fordham can really ignite change and spark the flames and all of that,” said Stevenson.

Stevenson said he hopes that people are able to see the power of coming together through the event.

“Our main takeaway for students for Giving Day is to see the power of combining gifts and coming together as a community,” said Stevenson. “Our goal for this Giving Day is 2,500 donors. We are emphasizing donors over dollars to really show the power of participation and having people give back to areas of the university that were most impactful for them.”

Before the event officially goes live, Stevenson explained that early donations can also be made. As of April 13, 84 people already donated to Giving Day.

In addition to directly donating, there are other ways that the people in the Fordham community can give back, including spreading awareness on social media, becoming an advocate for the campaign or sharing their Fordham story.

As another part of Giving Day, people are able to share testimonies about why they gave back to the community.

Juan Rivera, GSB ’90, said: “My experience at Fordham was important to me in that it exposed me to the idea of service to others. That idea has become a way of life for me and turned into a career.”
Kathryn Castelli, GSB ’90, also shared the reason she gave back.

“Fordham allowed me to elevate the level of my confidence and success. I didn’t know it at the time, but a better me meant better things for the generation that followed. The positive effects of my Fordham education are still being enjoyed by me and felt by all my family,” said Castelli.

Stevenson added: “Giving Days are really just a great way to celebrate the university and come together as a collective. There are a lot of people who extend their support throughout the year, but Giving Days are really good at building community and showing the power of all coming together at once.”

The seventh annual Giving Day boasted $1,239,389 from 2,376 online donors. Many choose to donate through checks, which means the final number will be published in coming days.