Jake Morrow, Florida Polytechnic University’s director of annual giving programs and alumni relations, congratulates Catherine Abraham, National Society of Black Engineers president, after the club won a $1,000 social media challenge during the University’s inaugural Giving Day.
More than $2 million was raised to support Florida Polytechnic University scholarships, academic departments, and student organizations during the University’s inaugural Giving Day on Monday, March 14.
Florida Poly Giving Day 2022 is a 24-hour online fundraising effort to raise money in support of academics, scholarships, student organizations, and more. A total of $2.05 million from 146 donors was raised during the event.
“We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support we received from so many who believe in Florida Poly’s mission,” said Kathy Bowman, Florida Poly’s vice president of advancement. “This is a wonderful start to what I know will become a strong annual tradition of giving and support for our University.”
The event encourages students, parents, alumni, employees, community supporters, industry partners, and others to support the University with a monetary contribution of any size throughout the day.
As part of Giving Day, giving challenges added $1,000 to a winning donor’s fund of choice throughout the day. Challenges included the Furthest Gift Challenge, rewarding the donor located the longest distance from Florida Poly $1,000 to the area of their choice; the Most Alumni Gifts Challenge, rewarding the academic department, club, or scholarship that received the most contributions from alumni during a specific hour an additional $1,000; and the Most Faculty and Staff Gifts Challenge, rewarding the academic department, club, or scholarship that received the most contributions from employees during a specific hour an additional $1,000.
Purple Fire Robotics won the Student Organization Challenge for a $1,000 bonus and the Phoenix Pets social media challenge, receiving another $1,000 after a donut-wearing dog garnered the most likes on behalf of the team. A total of $7,447 was raised for the team.
“Robotics is an expensive hobby, so any additional funding always goes a long way toward helping us make better and cooler robots,” said Mihir Lad, a senior majoring in computer engineering and one of the chairmen of Purple Fire’s VEX U section. “Seeing people, and especially our members, taking such an active role in helping us solve that issue is exciting.”
Event organizer Jake Morrow, Florida Poly’s director of annual giving programs and alumni relations, said every gift is impactful.
“I am very pleased with the number of new donors that we have and I think people have been excited to be able to zero in on their favorite club, academic department, or scholarship they’re giving to,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of student engagement and we look forward to building on this year’s success.”
Visit the Giving Day website to learn more about the event.
Contact:
Lydia Guzmán
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
