Each February, the UMBC community reaches together to support student success with gifts made during one 24-hour Giving Day extravaganza. And every year, our Retriever Nation comes through – sharing news of their gifts and reasons for supporting UMBC far and wide.
This year’s “Black and Gold Rush” on February 27 was no exception. Several hours before the midnight deadline, our Retrievers blew past the original goal of 1,800 donors to reach more than 2,600 donors and $188,500, with more donations still being tallied, that will support everything from academics to athletics to campus organizations. More than a hundred social media ambassadors also shared the love by encouraging friends and colleagues to contribute.
“I am always amazed but never surprised by the generosity of the UMBC community,” said Greg Simmons, MPP ’04, Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “So many students and programs will benefit from the amazing support that we received on Thursday. It makes me proud to be a Retriever.”
During free hour, students and others passing through The Commons wrote thank you notes to donors and celebrated as the donor count passed the halfway mark. And faculty and staff in offices and departments across campus took to social media energizing their networks to support the great work happening in all aspects of the community.
Here is a snapshot of the day, and a thank you to all who contributed!
Who showed up big time for @umbc Giving Day? #RetrieverNation that’s who! Keep it up! Still have 4.5 hours to make a difference in the life of a student-athlete. @UMBCAthletics #BlackAndGoldRush pic.twitter.com/3QHa78Zyia
— Jessica Hammond-Graf (@jshamm04) February 28, 2020
Header image by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC Magazine.
Tags: giving
