IC Bombers Rally to Raise Record-Breaking $2.5 Million on Giving Day

By IC Staff, April 26, 2023

Thousands of donors contributed to the largest single-day, community-based fundraising effort in Ithaca College’s history.

The Ithaca College community celebrated a record-breaking Giving Day.

More than 3,300 IC students, alumni, faculty, staff, families, and other friends of the college stepped up to show the world why it’s always a great day to be a Bomber on Tuesday, April 25, through raising a record-smashing $2.5 million during Ithaca College’s 2023 Giving Day. The total topped the previous record of $2.2 million raised in 2022.

This 24-hour fundraising initiative gave community members the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to making their impact on the IC experience. Donors contributed to all five schools, academic departments, athletics teams, student financial aid, and student organizations and clubs.  

Learn More

To learn more about the impact of Ithaca College Giving Day, visit givingday.ithaca.edu.

“What a thrilling 24 hours! I joined colleagues in Alumni Hall as Tuesday crossed into Wednesday and was absolutely amazed and proud to see what our community accomplished in just a single day,” shared President La Jerne Terry Cornish. “Giving Day 2023 was an incredible moment, both for its philanthropic impact and for what it illustrates about our community’s commitment to our students and to our home on South Hill. Many thanks to everyone who contributed—literally and figuratively—to making Giving Day a fantastic success.”

Bomber Pride

Support for student-athletes was evident throughout the day. Nearly 2,500 individuals gave a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, raising more than $500,000 over 24 hours.

“The generous support we received from our alumni, family, and friends was truly amazing, and showed that Tuesday was another great day to be a Bomber,” said Susan Bassett ’79, associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports. “With these funds, we can ensure support and enhancement of our programs in order to provide our student-athletes with the best athletic experience possible."

The field hockey team received 306 gifts, the most of any program, while the women’s soccer program led all teams by raising $124,780, as current and former Bomber student-athletes engaged in friendly competition on Giving Day to fundraise for their respective sports.

A Community Effort

“Giving Day is an opportunity for our worldwide community to show their support for the aspects of the Ithaca College experience that mean the most to them,” said Brian Kluger ’14, senior associate director of engagement, who led the initiative under the leadership of M. Quincy Davidson, interim vice president for philanthropy and engagement, and Brett Bossard ’95, executive director of alumni and family engagement. “I am very proud of my fellow alumni for showing their commitment to this incredible institution. Every gift makes an impact, and is deeply appreciated by all of us at IC.”

In addition to thanking Kluger, the college’s Philanthropy and Engagement team, and everyone across the college who contributed to their efforts to ensuring a successful outcome, Davidson expressed a deep gratitude for every member of the IC community who showed their support.

“The success of this record-breaking Ithaca College Giving Day is truly a testament to the power of our collective community. Through their generosity, we will be even better equipped to provide the types of transformative educational and extra-curricular opportunities that are a hallmark of an Ithaca education. We are truly thankful to everyone who gave during this historic 24-hour period.”

M. Quincy Davidson, interim vice president for philanthropy and engagement.

“The success of this record-breaking Ithaca College Giving Day is truly a testament to the power of our collective community,” he said. “Through their generosity, we will be even better equipped to provide the types of transformative educational and extra-curricular opportunities that are a hallmark of an Ithaca education. We are truly thankful to everyone who gave during this historic 24-hour period.”

All five schools of the college received tremendous support. The School of Business received the most Giving Day dollars, while the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance had the most individual donors.

“We’re so thankful to our alums and friends for their support,” said Michael Johnson-Cramer, dean of the School of Business. “The substance of every gift raised today — for every school, in any amount — is one generation of Bombers passing on the gift of education to a new generation of Bombers. That’s something we can all be proud of.”

Matches Maximize Impact

In addition to several giving challenges, each school had generous donors offer matching gifts of amounts between $25,000 and $50,000.

Along with matching gifts for each school — all of which were unlocked — there were several other ways for donors to make the most of their gifts through a match. Gift challenges — which tasked the fund with hitting a specific dollar or donor amount — included a Light the Towers Young Alumni match courtesy of Trustee Jack Dembow ’77, and the Roger '80 and Diane '81 Harris Financial Aid Match.

Giving Thanks on Giving Day

Students, including Reward Odilatu ’23 (foreground), wrote thank-you notes to every single donor who contributed on Giving Day. (Photo by Patrick Bohn '05)

While the Ithaca College community was showing its support for the school, current students were ensuring that gifts were not going unrecognized. Students worked throughout the day writing 3,000 thank-you notes to donors, and will write hundreds more in the coming days, so that every single person who was generous enough to make a gift is made aware of its impact.

“We want to thank the people who are making our college experience happen, because without them it would literally not happen,” said Kaitlyn Katz ’22, MS ’23, an Occupational Therapy graduate student who was a recipient of the Erin Marie Masling Memorial Scholarship.

“I wrote thank-you notes because it’s important for people to understand that when you give a gift, it’s directly impacting students on campus, said Reward Odilatu ’23, a dual major in Business Administration and Television and Digital Media Production. “I’m working incredibly hard on campus, and your gift creates a space where I’m safe, supported, and that is something I deeply appreciate.”