WALTHAM, Mass. -- Thanks to many generous contributions from supporters, the Brandeis Athletic department had an unprecedented Giving DEISDay on November 30, with donations exceeding $150,000 from more than 800 donors, with numbers still coming in through the end of 2021.
"We are so grateful for the generosity of everyone who contributed to our programs this year," said Brandeis Director of Athletics Lauren Haynie. "Everyone - from our coaches to our students and our administrative staff - understands just how fortunate we are to be practicing, training, and competing again. This year, our outreach to families, alumni, and friends of the department spoke to some of the greatest needs of our teams, and we are so fortunate that our supporters responded so enthusiastically."
With an initial goal of reaching $100,000 to meet a matching donation, Brandeis Athletics alumni stepped up and got the department to one-and-a-half times that total with 842 (and counting) total donations.
All eleven of Brandeis's programs also unlocked an additional $1,000 for their teams by generating donations from 50 or more contributors - up from a 35-donor target from a year ago. Women's soccer led the way with a remarkable 156 donors, while 96 donors gave more than $30,000 to women's basketball. The swimming and diving program had a fantastic turnout, nearly doubling its number of donors from 2020. In all, six programs unlocked an additional $1,000 match by reaching $10,000 on their own.
For a full breakdown of the numbers, visit the challenges and leaderboards page.
Overall for the University, not only was this the most successful Giving Tuesday campaign yet, it was also the most successful single-day community fundraiser in Brandeis history. Brandeis as a whole raised over one million dollars in a single day for the second year in a row, thanks to 2,505 individual donations.
To show their appreciation to the alumni, friends, parents, and Brandeis community members who supported Brandeis Athletics on Giving DEISday, programs posted special thank-you messages on social media following the successful campaign.