Austen Hunzeker
Staff Writer
Idaho State University held its fourth annual Bengal Giving Day on March 18-19, raising 1,094 gifts from 743 donors.
“Bengal Giving Day is an all-out fundraising bliss for Idaho State University,” said ISU’s Interim Director of Annual Giving, Daniel Moore. “It’s our largest fundraising activity of the year, and it’s a chance for members of the community to see what we’re doing at ISU and become an investor in that as well.”
In years past, the event has received up to approximately 950 donors. Last year, the record was broken for the most money donated to the fundraiser, with a total of over $1.1 million. Although the donation amounts were bigger last year, the number of donors was around 800.
“Our goal this year isn’t so much focused on the dollar amount that we get, but we want to get that donor rate up,” Moore said.
The crowdfunding initiative primarily takes place on the Bengal Giving Day website, where donors can decide how much they want to donate to the university and which specific program on campus will receive the funds.
There are five main areas that donations can support: scholarships, student support, academics, athletics, and the campus community. Donors can visit https://bengalgivingday.com/pages/home-2527 and choose to direct their donations to a specific area as they see fit.
“We have about 120 different areas that people can give to,” Moore said.
According to Moore, the fundraiser officially began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the 18th and ended at 4:41 p.m. on Wednesday, the 19th. (Totaling 1,901 minutes, recognizing 1901 as the year ISU was founded.)
Games, a photo booth, t-shirts, opportunities to write thank-you cards, and more were set up in the Student Union Building from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days of the fundraiser to help spread awareness.
“We want people to give to what’s most important to them,” Moore said. “We have a couple dozen student clubs…That is just a really fantastic way to see what the students here at ISU are doing and give them some opportunities beyond just sitting in a classroom.”
Challenges also arose during the fundraiser, such as President Robert Wagner’s commitment to match $ 5,000 in donations toward the Roar Scholarship. There is a specific page on the website dedicated to these challenges.
Because students are already paying tuition, their donations are neither expected nor requested. Yet, each year, there are still around 100 student donations, ranging from $1 to $5.
This year, thanks to the generosity of The Pocatello Pet Lodge, a Tiger Dash occurred where mini Bengals were hidden all over campus for students to find and bring back to the Student Union Building. In return, students could choose where $15 of the donations went.
Amy Dressel, the communications manager and interim director of the alumni association, wants students to know that this fundraiser is for them.
“All of this is to support them and the next generation of Bengals,” Dressel said. “Our main priority is our students. Everything that we do comes back to them.”
The tagline this year was “Roar With Us.” To celebrate everyone who donated at the conclusion of Bengal Giving Day, ISU hosted an after-party open to students and the public in the Student Union Building with pizza, donuts, and more.
The fundraiser raised a total of $625,625 this year.
“I’m always impressed with the generosity and compassion of our Bengals!” Wagner said on social media. “We will be able to make a difference for so many of our students.”