‘Big Give’ raises nearly $280,000 for school

An annual fundraiser campaign, Big Give, charted ‘big results’ after 24 hours of donations flowing to Baldwin Wallace.
With new advancements, the fundraiser surpassed its earnings from last year. Before the 24-hour time period, donors and alumni have the ability to give money that can later be ‘matched’, or doubled the day of Big Give, said Ann Miller, director of Annual Giving at Baldwin Wallace. With the help of the Annual Giving Department, the Big Give campaign was able to raise the biggest total dollars in its history.
“What helped us raise more money were the generous matches that we secured ahead of time from our generous donors,” said Miller. “Thus, encouraging people to give that day to double their impact.”
In all, Big Give raised $279,995, which exceeds money raised in 2018 by around $50,000. Also, the event secured over 100 new donors through the effort, which had a great impact on final dollar numbers, she said.
This year’s Big Give had 817 returning donors that were contacted during the six-month money-raising period before the event. During this time, donors are able to donate or make a commitment to donate on the campaign day. Contributions that were made had the potential of being matched by other donors on the day of the online campaign. This year, alumni, faculty and staff made up the greatest portion of the donations, including over $135,000 dollars that were later matched on the day of the Big Give, said Miller.
“We just had such a fantastic outpouring of support from donors who gave matches ahead of time which then are used the day of [Big Give],” said Miller. “We have a lot of donor loyalty here.”
The idea of matching previous donations is the major motivating factor when advertising the giving day to people around BW. Not only does the event raise money for Baldwin Wallace, it also has goals of generating excitement around the institution. Miller said high schools and grade schools are now implementing their own form of the Big Give because of its consistent positive contributions to all types of schools.
Although the day was able to raise more money than years past, it was still a challenge advertising to alumni, faculty, staff and others that support Baldwin Wallace’s endeavors, she said. By implementing new techniques, such as promoting the giving day on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, the Annual Giving Department hoped to engage more donors. The Big Give also utilized a new donation platform, making it easier and more convenient for donors to contribute money through a mobile application that shows donations being made in real time.
“The challenge is just getting the word out and getting people to give within the 24-hour period,” said Miller. “This year we incorporated more messaging on Twitter and on the LinkedIn page, which got some traction. [We are] always trying to balance; not reaching out too much but reaching out enough in the time period [we] have.”
The goal of next year’s event is to increase and encourage more engagement from those on campus. With a fantastic showing of support at this year’s campaign, the Annual Giving Department has hopes to increase the amount of money raised next year, she said. Although the Big Give day is over, people are still welcome to make donations to Baldwin Wallace.