Boundless Impact Campaign gifts top $1 billion

Thanks to more than 100,000 generous donors, the university’s Advancement Division passed the $1 billion fundraising threshold for Boundless Impact: The Campaign for Virginia Tech.

Campaign dollars given or committed were nearly $1.04 billion as of Dec. 31. That amount represented more than 69 percent of the total campaign goal of $1.5 billion, and was reached with just under 43 percent of the campaign timeframe having elapsed.

Boundless Impact began in quiet phase in July 2017, was launched publicly in October 2019, and is projected to end in December 2027. Passing the $1 billion threshold capped a calendar year that saw multiple fundraising records, including the largest corporate gift, the largest gift from a Virginia Tech graduate, and the most dollars raised and donors participating in a Giving Day.

“Virginia Tech’s community of alumni, friends, and industry partners stepped forward in remarkable fashion throughout 2021,” university President Tim Sands said. “We deeply appreciate this generosity, which fuels learning, discovery, and outreach throughout the university and the many communities we serve worldwide.”

In addition to its philanthropic goal for the campaign, Virginia Tech is also striving to engage 100,000 alumni in meaningful ways over the course of Boundless Impact. Engagement is crucial to ensure long-term support for the university from its ever-growing base of alumni, and more than 74,500 alumni have participated since the campaign began.

“We set ambitious goals with Boundless Impact, and the Hokie Nation has gone above and beyond in answering our call,” said Charlie Phlegar, the university’s vice president for advancement. “Thousands of gifts of every size made by Virginia Tech alumni and friends have an enormous impact on the university. This generosity is a real testament to the strength and dedication of our university community.”

Hokies found numerous occasions throughout the year to show their support for the Virginia Tech colleges, departments, programs, and more that mean the most to them. Two notable examples from the past year include:

• February’s Giving Day, which engaged nearly 13,000 Hokies, who collectively gave over $6.3 million.
• The Hokie Socks campaign in late November and early December, which saw over 3,000 alumni make their first gift of the fiscal year (which runs from July 1 to June 30 each year). In total, more than 10,000 pairs of limited-edition Hokie socks were sent to supporters in thanks for their gifts during the socks campaign.

The past 12 months also saw the announcements of a number of extraordinary and, in some cases, record-setting gifts from individuals and industry partners, including:

• January’s announcement of a $10 million gift by alumni couple Mehul and Hema Sanghani to name the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, which will be headquartered at the university’s Innovation Campus in Alexandria, Virginia.
• May’s announcement of the largest corporate gift ever made to Virginia Tech — $50 million — which came from Boeing in support of scholarships, programs, and other efforts at the Innovation Campus.
• Seven-figure giving in support of the Global Business and Analytics Complex by Pamplin alumni Mary McVay and Chris Shean was announced in June and October, respectively.
• Northrop Grumman’s commitment of $12.5 million to create a Center of Quantum Architecture and Software Development at the Innovation Campus was announced in November.
• December saw the announcement of a $35 million gift by alumnus Norris Mitchell and his wife, Wendy Mitchell. Their gift, the largest ever made by a Virginia Tech graduate, will advance a long-anticipated project to replace the College of Engineering’s Randolph Hall with what will be the largest building on the university’s Blacksburg campus.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see so much enthusiasm from the community for what we’ve set out to do with Boundless Impact,” said Associate Vice President for Advancement and Campaign and Sesquicentennial Director Angela Hayes. “All those who have supported this campaign, as well as those who will help us get the rest of the way to our goal, have made a long-lasting impact on their fellow Hokies.”

Renae Pearson is a member of the campaign’s steering committee and chairs the Virginia Tech Foundation Advancement Committee.

“The ongoing success of this campaign is a huge step for Virginia Tech toward achieving the university’s vision for the future of higher education,” she said. “It will have a positive effect on students for years to come. This is an exciting time to be a Hokie.”