In a year when social distancing became a prevailing necessity, two of South Dakota State University’s established fundraising events were able to bridge that divide and rack up record-breaking totals.
As classes were shifted to all online instruction in March of 2020, the transition triggered a long list of cancellations of in-person events that were synonymous with campus life in the spring – from college and departmental scholarship banquets and senior recitals to athletic events and the Foundation’s annual Donor Celebration.
Two major fundraising events, the Jackrabbit Athletic Scholarship Auction and One Day for STATE, persevered.
Each event harnessed the power of digital and social media, and the legions of volunteers, alumni, friends, and donors. The virtual celebrations not only survived, but thrived, under the most unique circumstances either had ever faced.
The Jackrabbit Athletic Scholarship Auction was historically built around a sit-down dinner with a live auction and motivating speeches on the floor of Frost Arena. In the past, One Day for STATE’s 24 hours of consecutive activity always involved more than a dozen events on campus, and a large, family-friendly Yellow and Blue Block Party on the Alumni Green and in the shadow of the Campanile.
This year’s events looked different, though both adeptly navigated the challenging environment.
Many credit the determined spirit of SDSU Athletics to proceed with the annual scholarship auction in a virtual format on May 2 as an important catalyst to what became a record overall fundraising year for the SDSU Foundation. Throughout the country, those types of events were being cancelled or rescheduled. SDSU held firm on the date.
The result was a record $1,737,600 raised overall. That included $1,158,000 for student-athlete scholarships. Because of the needs of others, the Athletic Department widened its fundraising reach to address two other critical needs: $207,000 for Feeding South Dakota, an amount that equated to 1.1 million meals; and $207,000 for need-based scholarships for SDSU’s general student body.
Four months later, early in the fall semester with on-campus instruction resumed but prudent safeguards in place, One Day for STATE jettisoned the normal crowd events, building around the theme: “One day. One university. One Jackrabbit family. We are one.” More than 500 social ambassadors were recruited to help spread the word through their social media networks.
At the end of those whirlwind 24 hours, the 2020 One Day for STATE celebration shattered all-time records. The result was $1,617,648 raised from 4,888 different donors. That included donors from all 50 states and 19 countries. Among the donors were 484 current students. The first online gift was made at 22 seconds after midnight; the last gave at 11:59:18 that night, wrapping up a pivotal event that would lead to a historic fundraising year, achieved together while apart.
