April 3, 2012 — A whopping 472 donors showed their enthusiasm for New College this past week by participating in the 36-Hour Giving Challenge—a first of its kind online fundraising event in Southwest Florida, made possible by Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation, and The Patterson Foundation. The event took place on March 26 and 27, 2012.
The Giving Partner galvanized the entire New College community. Alums, students, faculty, staff and friends participated with their wallets. The challenge raised over $81,000 in direct donations. In addition, $15,570 of the donations made within the first four minutes, were eligible for matching dollars. We are also proud to boast that the College won an additional $15,000 prize for having the second highest number of unique individual donations of all non-profit organizations during the Challenge, as well as several other smaller prizes. In all, the Giving Partner Challenge raised approximately $110,000 for New College.
Clint Monts de Oca, Interim Executive Vice President of the New College Foundation, was ecstatic. “The New College community clearly rallied behind its favorite liberal arts institution. Through these gifts, we can ensure future generations of scholars will continue to benefit from small class sizes, personal relationships with professors, and an Ivy League quality education at a public college price,” he said.
New College was one of 109 organizations participating in the Giving Partner Challenge. In all, the challenge raised a total of $2,401,601 from 10,705 gifts. The ultimate reach of the event extended beyond Southwest Florida, with donors coming from all 50 states and 24 countries, including the UK, Spain, Russia, Peru, Australia, Mexico and Canada.
On behalf of our New College students who benefit from the community’s generosity, the College offers sincere thanks to all those who participated in this wonderful event.