Centenary Giving Day
In February 2023, Centenary College enhanced its annual Founders’ Day celebration with new on-campus activities and an online fundraising event, Centenary Giving Day. Centenary Giving Day gave donors a chance to recognize the College’s nearly 200-year history while investing in its present and future.
Centenary Giving Day was a 24-hour online event that encouraged alumni and friends to support the College’s greatest priorities and opportunities – including scholarships and unrestricted funds at the College. Previously held in November, the Development Department decided to move the event away from the national online giving day, Giving Tuesday, in order to have a day that is exclusive to Centenary and meaningful to the Centenary community.
“We were excited to stake out our own Giving Day to coincide with our Founders’ Day celebration,” commented Fred Landry, vice president for development. “It’s a great opportunity for alumni and friends of the College to support our students, professors, and programs through a gift of any amount to help advance the mission of Centenary.”
Supporters of the College were encouraged to participate in Centenary Giving Day by giving online, attending the annual Founders’ Day Convocation, enjoying a tailgate before the Gents basketball game, or participating in the Giving Day Basketball Challenge with a chance to win a signed Harlem Globetrotters jersey from Centenary alumnus and current Globetrotter Travion Kirkendoll ’18. All proceeds raised on that day were dedicated to the Centenary Annual Fund to benefit student scholarships.
One of the key components of giving was asking Centenary alumni to help ensure Centenary continues Moving Forward by Giving Back. To do this, everyone was encouraged to “Give your year!” For example, a Centenary alumnus who graduated in 1995 could give $19.95, $95, $199.50, or choose another amount. Alumni were asked to challenge fellow classmates to match their gifts to maximize support. Non-alumni were still encouraged to participate in the fun as friends of the College, by giving in honor of the year they became acquainted with Centenary, their age, or the year someone close to them graduated.
There was also a collaboration with Rhino Coffee in honor of Centenary College: a new drink named the Raspberry Catahoula. The popular drink was available at both Rhino Coffee locations in Shreveport and showed its Centenary pride with a rich white chocolate mocha and a drizzle of raspberry. On February 9, the first 50 alumni who showed up to either Rhino location from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. received a FREE small Raspberry Catahoula in honor of Centenary Giving Day.
Since the advent of online giving days, generous supporters have contributed more than $865,000 to Centenary, and the change of date was a huge success for the Centenary community. Although the official Centenary Giving Day will be moving permanently to Founders Day, Centenary still plans on participating in Giving Tuesday on a smaller scale.