Giving Day 2025
April 22, 2025
On the fourth annual VCU Giving Day, students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends celebrate a school unrivaled in its commitment to serve the community, provide transformational educational experiences to a diverse group of students and pursue creativity and innovation across disciplines.
What is VCU Giving Day?
For the fourth year in a row, VCU supporters will come together for 24 hours to raise money for the scholarships, programs and initiatives that transform our community.
This year, with your help, we hope to garner even more support for VCU’s initiatives through online giving and participation in our challenges and match incentives.
Giving Day 2025 deadlines
- January 17, 2025: Matches and challenges submission deadline
- March 22, 2025: Early giving is live
- April 22, 2025: Giving Day is here!
By the numbers
Our third Giving Day was a success! On April 29, 2025, we hope to keep the momentum going as we continue to raise funds for the programs and initiatives that enable VCU to provide an unparalleled educational experience and transform our community.
Challenges
With challenges, a pool of money is raised and ultimately allocated to specific funds based on contest criteria. A challenge might reward, for instance, the area of impact that receives the most gifts in a one-hour timeframe. Challenge money is awarded to those “winning” funds, and donors are notified which initiatives their donation will support. Challenges lend a little excitement and suspense to Giving Day and encourage everyone to get involved.
Internal resources
- Giving Day donor agreement
- Match and Challenge guide
- Challenges/Matching Gifts Innovation session
- Giving Day guide to success
- Giving Day guide for gift officers
- Giving Day roles and responsibilities
- Match and Challenge docusign
- CSU questionnaire
FAQ
Email Jessie Pilot, associate director of strategic initiatives at pilotj@vcu.edu.
The minimum amount to qualify for matches and participate in hourly and full-day challenges is $10. You may donate a smaller gift, but it does not qualify for match and challenge bonus money.
Yes. Virginia Commonwealth University has 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt status; our federal tax ID number is 54-0757884.
Because of the compressed time frame of Giving Day, please make your donation online. Gifts cannot be accepted over the phone. Gifts by mail must be processed between March 24-April 24 and must be associated with a fund participating in Giving Day.
You can make a stock gift, but, because of the compressed time frame of Giving Day, such gifts will not qualify for challenges or matching funds.
Generous donors have made gifts to help support Giving Day challenges and matches.
Challenge money goes to funds chosen based on contest criteria.
Winners are listed in real time on the Giving Day site on the Leaderboards and the Challenges page.
The term "area of impact" refers to any department or unit on campus that raises funds to support its work. These include:
- Degree-granting schools and colleges
- VCU Health System
- Athletics department
- Many cross-platform programs — for example, the student success unit and efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
Yes, we can assist with the following:
- Intro and Outro elements for continuity
- Consultation and recommendations
- Youtube hosting opportunity with captions
- Leveraging Giving Day
- Leveraging Giving Day (for fundraisers) (password protected)
- Giving Day gift officer meeting recordings (password protected)
- Giving Day Call List User Guide
- Giving Day counting guide FY24
- Giving Day executive summary FY23
- Giving Day gift officer meeting Aug 2023
- Giving Day Transaction training 2024