On October 23, the Barnard community was brimming with excitement for Giving Day 2019, the online movement that brings our global family together for 24 hours of paying it forward to the next generation of bold, brilliant, Barnard women. Banners waved from Barnard Hall, social media was bursting with favorite Barnard memories, students played College trivia in The Diana Center, and faculty and staff gathered to celebrate our singular community.
Entering the day with an ambitious goal of raising $1,000,000, Barnard had its sights held high, and was met with success. Thanks to the fervor and generosity of alumnae, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the College, Barnard raised $1,109,187 from 2,529 gifts — both of which are Giving Day records for Barnard.
Results are still being calculated, but as of the end of Giving Day, Barnard stands to receive more than $22,000 in additional community challenge dollars, with the potential to earn more as the final tallies are calculated. Among other accomplishments, Barnard placed third in the Alumni Participation Challenge and won a New Donor Challenge.
Maya Hartleben ’19, the new donor whose comment won an extra $1,000 for Barnard, wrote with her gift, “First time giving! Very excited to be able to give back to the school that enabled me to be the woman I am today.”
Full Giving Day 2019 results available here.
Contributions to the Barnard Annual Fund on Giving Day, and every day, have a direct, positive impact on today’s students by bridging the gap between the cost of tuition and the true cost of a Barnard education.
“We are so grateful to all members of the Barnard community who participated in Giving Day,” said Lisa Yeh P’19, Vice President, Development and Alumnae Relations. “These donations make the Barnard experience possible for the world’s brightest women, regardless of their financial circumstances.”
New this year were two Barnard-only challenges put forth by members of the Barnard Board of Trustees, both of which were met with enthusiasm by the Barnard community. For the first challenge, the Trustees pledged to match any new Giving Day gift up to $1,000, for a total of $232,000. For the second challenge, AABC President and Barnard Trustee Jyoti Menon ’01 pledged $4,000 if Barnard received 600 Giving Day gifts from alumnae in classes of 2009–2019.
"Giving Day is an opportunity for all of us to support Barnard," says Menon. "I support Barnard because of the fabulous women we educate and send into the world. I give because of what Barnard gave me."
Students got in on the action as well, with the Class of 2020 holding their Senior Fund kick-off event the night before, starting their fundraising on a high. This year, the Senior Fund's goal is to reach 75% participation in Barnard’s Annual Fund, as well as raising money to go directly to Beyond Barnard for funding internships and the First-Generation/Low-Income Partnership (FLIP) Library.
Further from campus, alumnae took part in the fun. They shared Barnard memories on social media, encouraged their classmates to give, and earlier in the week young alumnae gathered in 11 cities to celebrate the Barnard community and learn more about Giving Day.
Giving Day is the embodiment of the entire community coming together, near and far, to support Barnard, our students, and the education of women. The banners may be down, but the love for Barnard is still reverberating. Thank you to all who participated in this amazing day.