Generosity is the objective from noon to noon April 28 and 29, as the 2020 Giving Challenge inspires the community to donate to organizations like New College Foundation.
This 24-hour online event—presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and strengthened by The Patterson Foundation—will connect nearly 700 nonprofit partners with donors. New College Foundation will use the funds to support its next generation of scholars.
“This will be the seventh year that New College has participated in the Giving Challenge and, to date, we have raised close to $600,000,” said Kevin Hughes, New College’s associate vice president of advancement, and the associate director of New College Foundation. “Gifts made during the Giving Challenge are unrestricted, thus utilized for the greatest needs of the college. Typically, in the past, these funds have been used to support such things as scholarship aid, research opportunities for students, and faculty support.”
The Foundation encourages donors to #BeTheOne to support students, as gifts between $25 and $100 will be matched one-to-one by The Patterson Foundation. Additionally, gifts made to New College will be matched one-to-one (up to $50,000) by a Friend of New College. In other words, contributors can turn a $100 gift into $300.
“In light of the current pandemic and the challenges faced by our most vulnerable students, these funds may also be utilized to support the emergency needs of students,” Hughes said. “We’re also encouraging our alumni to participate. Alumni participation (with a gift of any size) is a critical metric, which not only factors into New College’s U.S. News & World Report ranking, but also is a key indicator that outside donors (such as foundations) look at when making funding decisions.”
New College has been consistently raising money for its student emergency fund during the pandemic (generating more than $35,000 from faculty, staff, students and alumni). The Foundation also recently received a $28,600 grant from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to help students in need. Since 1980, New College Foundation has raised upwards of $100 million in public and private funds for everything from endowments and academic programs to faculty positions and new buildings.
Donors can make advance pledges to New College Foundation (which will be held until the Giving Challenge begins and then entered) by calling 941-487-4684. As an extra incentive, The CARES Act allows any gift up to $300 ($600 for married couples) in 2020 to be fully tax-deductible. For more information on New College Foundation’s participation in the Giving Challenge, visit givingpartnerchallenge.org/organizations/new-college-foundation-incorporated. For more information on New College Foundation, visit ncf.edu/alumnaei-and-friends/the-foundation.
Abby Weingarten is the editor/writer in the Office of Communications & Marketing.