Giving Day brings Hokies together to celebrate and support Virginia Tech

Members of the Hokie community from around the world are coming together to celebrate Virginia Tech in a shared moment of philanthropy as the university prepares to kick off Giving Day 2022.

This 24-hour virtual event starts at noon, EST, on Wednesday, and serves as a special opportunity for all Hokies to unite and give back to favorite departments, programs, student organizations, and teams.

“The Virginia Tech community can do more together than any of us can on our own,” said Ciji Good, Virginia Tech’s director of special events, who serves as co-chair of Giving Day. “This day gives us a chance not only to celebrate what we love about our university, but to transform students’ lives, fuel discoveries, and make a bigger difference in the world. We are in the 150th anniversary year of Virginia Tech, and this should be our best Giving Day ever.”

Nearly 12,400 alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and friends combined to provide over $6.3 million in support to a wide variety of the university’s colleges and programs during last year’s Giving Day.

Those who contribute on Giving Day 2022 could see the impact of their gifts enhanced significantly through special challenges that allow for additional funding when certain giving thresholds are met. Nearly all Virginia Tech colleges and numerous programs will have challenge opportunities made possible by their supporters. Several university-wide challenges are in place to be won by whichever unit can attract the most donors, raise the most dollars, or finish first in other ways.

One example of a program-specific challenge comes from Virginia Cooperative Extension. Supporters C. Clark and Betty Jones plan to donate $5,000 once 265 donors contribute to the Holiday Lake 4-H Center’s annual fund.

“We support the approaches used in the 4-H program, such as learning by doing, youth being exposed to healthy values, and youth and volunteers developing leadership skills,” said C. Clark Jones, a retired vice provost for Virginia Tech Outreach and International Affairs and former director of Virginia Cooperative Extension.

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has a Commandant’s VTCC Decade Participation Challenge in which the program’s Alumni Board will add $17,050 to a Class Endowed Scholarship based on which decade has the most donors.

“The decade challenge has value because most of us are very connected through our companies and class year, like a fraternal feeling,” said Chuck Rowell ’71, a member of the Corps’ alumni board. “I know in my case our Class of 1971 Highty-Tighty alumni are very active in meeting each year at Homecoming and marching in the parade and pregame show. We like the friendly competition with other classes and decades in growing our support financially and other ways for the current Highty-Tighties.”

Rowell is one of a group of more than 400 students, alumni, faculty, friends, and parents who committed to serving as Giving Day 2022 Ambassadors. These ambassadors help spread the word about opportunities to support the university on Giving Day, primarily by sharing giving links with their networks of friends and colleagues through social media or other means. Ambassadors play a crucial role in building the grassroots support needed to make Giving Day a success.

“I believe that the 24-hour Giving Day helps Virginia Tech get more alumni and friends participating, involved, and aware of the needs of the university,” Rowell said. “The Giving Day concept reminds us that ‘habit of giving’ is important to all of us as we support others while growing our careers and future.”

Many of the university’s students are involved in Giving Day as well, not only by planning to give once it begins, but by participating in engagement challenges. This includes several scavenger hunt competitions that provide up to $500 to winning students to donate to their favorite causes within Virginia Tech.

“I recognize that many students don’t have the means to give to the university, but they can easily join an engaging competition to decide where they want to invest,” said Kashi Nikore ’22, a marketing management manager who chairs the Senior Class Gift Campaign. “Giving Day gives the university the means to not just be a campus or a community, but a place we call home in every sense of the word. As a student, I cannot even begin to express how appreciative I am for those who donate on Giving Day.”

Virginia Tech supporters near and far can follow along and join in the excitement at the Giving Day 2022 website and by following #vtgivingday on social media.