TECH YEAH, it was!
Giving Day 2016 was a tremendous success thanks to the generosity of the 948 donors who made gifts in our 24-hour fundraising period on November 15, 2016.
Last year we raised $685,000, and we went even further this year, raising a total of $881,100. That’s an extraordinary amount of scholarship funds, educational supplies, and support for the next generation of innovators!
Generous alumni issued several giving challenges throughout the day, adding extra incentives for Giving Day donors looking to maximize the impacts of their gifts on Illinois Tech.
- We kicked off the day bright and early with the Tech Yeah! I’ll Give Challenge, which unlocked $100,000 when we reached 400 gifts.
- Carter Eckert (CHE ’64) and an anonymous donor then teamed up to issue the Carter Eckert ’64 Challenge, which unlocked $150,000 when we added another 200 gifts.
- The Alumni Trustee Scholarship Match—issued by alumni trustees Bob Cornog (MET ’61), David Crowell (ARCH ’79), Mike Galvin (LAW ’78), Ed Kaplan (ME ’65), Jeff Karp (CE ’79), Paul McCoy (EE ’72), Anita Nagler (LAW ’80), Adrian Nemcek (EE ’70), and Carl Spetzler (CHE ’63, M.B.A. ’65, Ph.D. BE ’68)—added $200 to college scholarship funds for every alumni donation of $25 or more, up to $197,500.
The Student Gift Committee launched its 2017 project on Giving Day—a newly created Hawks 4 Hawks Hardship Fund, which assists fellow students who are facing crisis financial situations that could prevent them from completing their degrees. On November 15, the committee raised $8,682 for this initiative, with 116 students making gifts!
So what can we gather from the results of Giving Day 2016? That Illinois Tech alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends are more generous than ever.