California State University, Bakersfield raised over $49,000 to support students and programs through its third annual Giving Day on Oct. 6.
The university raised $49,424 from 429 gifts during the 24-hour engagement and fundraising marathon. This year’s Giving Day had 368 donors, of which 131 were new donors to the university. In addition, CSUB saw 91 new email address signups for the event.
Donations came in from over a dozen states across the nation. A live leaderboard was made available on the Giving Day website to track the money raised throughout the day.
“With the conclusion of CSUB’s third Giving Day, we are reminded of the importance of community partnerships to rally around our students and faculty members to drive economic growth in our region, now and into the future,” said Director of Annual Giving and Stewardship Eric Weis. “Giving Day does not have to be a one-time commitment — rather, a philosophical journey of making positive change for our community. We are profoundly grateful to our donors for their enduring support.”
The virtual campaign encouraged the CSUB community to share about and give towards areas of the university they are most passionate about, including CSUB’s four schools and a variety of programs and initiatives, such as Student Affairs, the Alumni Association, Walter W. Stiern Library and Athletics.
Samantha Martinez gave to the School of Arts and Humanities in honor of her mother, Rebecca Martinez.
“She has been a rock for our family even while battling cancer twice,” she said. “Back in high school, she was the one who encouraged me to be the best I could be and to enroll at CSUB.”
Martinez’s husband, John Shorr, said he noticed that his wife had given to the school and wanted to get in on the fun and recognize someone who had given him and his wife a lot of love and support over the years.
“No way she was going to give and I wasn’t,” he said.
Sonia Silva, CSUB’s director of international students and programs, donated to the Dreamers Resource Center in honor of all Dreamers.
“I donated to the Dreamer’s Resource Center because AB-540, undocumented and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students are already facing so many challenges,” she said. “The center helps these deserving students with breaking the educational barriers they face due to their immigration status.”
Giving Day included several challenges that unlocked gifts for specific groups or initiatives on campus, such as the Battle of the Schools and the Center for Social Justice challenges. Joel Andreesen said he and his wife Connie, who sponsored the Social Justice and Rowdy challenges, donated as a way of giving back to the community.
“Connie and I believe that giving to CSUB educational programs is an investment in students who will one day be the decision-makers in our community and who will see the value in giving back to the community,” he said.
While Interim Vice President for University Advancement Heath Niemeyer said donation numbers were lower this year compared to the 2021 Giving Day, it was successful in driving community engagement and excitement about the university.
#CSUBGivingDay posts on official CSUB social media accounts received 123,374 impressions. Throughout the day, the accounts offered various giveaways for those using the hashtag and fulfilling challenges to spread support.
“I really want to thank the message ambassadors who helped share the positive things that are happening at CSUB with their friends, families and networks,” Niemeyer said. “It was great to see campus programs like the Graduate Center and community partners like the Community Foundation get involved on social media too.”
Money raised through Giving Day will help CSUB reach its goal of raising $55 million by July 2024 as part of its first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, which was publicly announced in October 2021.
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