In a one-day virtual event, the second annual One Day For Dawgs online event raised $87,679 to benefit 225 different fundraisers Wednesday, April 10.
“In short, it’s a one-day coming together of the virtual community in support of Ferris State University, through social media, driving traffic to our giving platform,” Ferris Senior Director for Advancement Jonathan Yordy said.
It was a successful endeavor, especially when compared to the first One Day for Dawgs, which raised $37,000 from 400 different donors last year.
This year’s goal was set high with a 1,000 donors challenge, and it was almost reached with a total of 901 donors.
The money raised was donated to a variety of sources including athletics, Greek life and academic programs.
Proposed projects ranged from adding new weightlifting equipment and a nutrition station to the Rec Centre, to providing new programs for the LGBTQ+ Resource Center.
Because it is directed toward a variety of fundraisers, the day of giving directly impacts all students at Ferris. Additionally, much of the gifting was in support of student scholarships.
“They should be interested in it because it benefits their efforts,” Yordy said. “We raised money for food and security, we raised money for the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, we raised money for the Veterans Resource Center. We raised money for Greek life, men’s basketball, the hockey team.”
While many students recognize the benefit of donations to the university, some also question why tuition revenue does not have a larger impact.
“I think some people might think it’s a little off-putting that they’re asking people to give them money. Like, we pay our tuition, so why don’t you use money from that to make things better?” Ferris manufacturing senior Lucas Wilkins said.
However, with enrollment down, Yordy said tuition revenues are also down, and finding new ways to raise money for the university has become increasingly important.
“We have to look for other ways to support the university, and that’s why the work we do in fundraising is very important,” Yordy said.
Ultimately, the event was able to showcase the impact social media can have on people to inspire change.
“It’s been a really powerful experience because people came to us wanting to raise money for their programs and organizations, and they did. They came together in a very powerful way and that shows us the power of people,” Yordy said.