A celebration on March 10, 2015, in honor of Ƶ’s birthday raised more than $702,000 to support students, scholarships, athletics, and faculty and staff.
Ƶ donors worldwide contributed 2,703 gifts totaling more than $702,000 during a March 10 celebration that called for the university community to show they “believe in Ƶ.”
Alumni giving was a key factor in the day’s success, with 70 percent of gifts coming from Ƶ graduates, while all gifts of $50 and under comprised 73 percent of total Ƶ Day contributions.
Ƶ Trustee Chris Martin’78 P’13 and son Nick Martin ’13, a Young Alumni Council member, provided early momentum in the day by committing $25,000 to help secure 500 gifts before the university’s Global College Coffee. Kerrii Brown Anderson ’79, vice chair of the Ƶ Board of Trustees, offered her own matching gift starting at College Coffee, doubling all gifts to the university up to $100,000.
The response to the Martin Challenge and the Anderson Match prompted an additional challenge from Ƶ Parents Council members Cindy and Rob Citrone P’17. As part of the Citrone Midnight Challenge, the couple pledged a $250,000 matching gift if 2,500 gifts were made before the close of the day. The 2,500th gift was made just after 11 p.m. by an anonymous donor who wished to encourage the Ƶ community to continue believing in the university.
The Citrones’ gift will also match gifts made earlier in Ƶ Day.
For the second year, the celebration generated significant activity on social media, with #ƵDay becoming one of the top 6 trending topics on Twitter and users logging more than 4,000 mentions of Ƶ Day across all channels. More than 760 alumni () helped drive this success, in addition to efforts to secure alumni gifts.
On-campus events included a senior event and an Ƶ Day birthday party in addition to the Global College Coffee held in Alumni Gym, with Ƶ Law hosting additional Ƶ Day events on the Greensboro campus. In addition, hundreds of alumni participated in birthday bashes hosted by Ƶ’s regional alumni chapters and clubs. The events took place in 19 cities spanning the globe from London to Los Angeles.
To learn more about Ƶ Day or make a gift, visit the mobile-friendly website.