Giving Tuesday, Full of Grace

Published: April 13, 2021

Financial champions of Greenville College gave new meaning to the children's verse that says,"Tuesday's child is full of grace." Their gracious generosity on Giving Tuesday overflowed in a big way to fund scholarships.

The results surprised Heather Fairbanks, director of annual giving. Donors blew past the giving goal of $5,000 by early afternoon, she said, "and they didn't stop."

Donors, like Bob and Jan Bastian (below, right) joined forces to contribute more than $20K in gifts and pledges on the nation's day dedicated to giving. Alumni and friends of the College gave mostly online and mostly in support of GC's Fund for Educational Excellence.

Fairbanks explained that the generous flow came on the heels of a two-night telethon earlier in the month where donors raised $34,000.

Efforts like Giving Tuesday and the telethon complement the Colleges various giving societies like its Heritage Circle, where supporters commit $10,000 or more to the Fund for Educational Excellence each year for three years.

Fairbanks supplied these numbers for Giving Tuesday:

• Goal: $5,000
• Achieved: $21,925
• Number of contributors: 70
• First gift received ($1,000) at 2:33 a.m.
• Last gift received ($125) at 11:55 p.m.
• Smallest gift: $10
• Largest gift: $3,000
• First time donors: 6
• Incentive: An anonymous alumni couple offered to match online donations two-to-one, up to $10,000.

Greenville College makes it a point to connect students who receive scholarships with donors who fund them. Each year, at Donor Thank-You events, students pen their thanks.

As one student wrote to a donor earlier this semester, It is apparent that people who came before me have put all that they have into GC. I thank you so much for your blessings.

It's not too late to be a part of this winning team of financial champions, who last year exceeded their goal of $886K to raise $1.06M. Click here to give.

For information about the Heritage Circle and other means of giving, contact Linda Myette, vice president for development: linda.myette@greenville.edu, 618-664-6501.