Donations came pouring into Elizabethtown College on March 24, bringing in a record breaking $813,059 raised in just 24 hours. This marked the most successful Power of One Day in the event’s 12-year history.
These donations came from 2,400 individual donors who each were able to contribute to the campus and students.
The Power of One Day is an annual fundraising event at Etown where alumni, family, friends, community members and more are encouraged to make monetary donations of any size to support current Etown students and future growth. And while this event is highly focused on fundraising, it has become something much more powerful, a showcase of the community’s connections and support of the college and students.
“This year’s numbers were record setting,” Benjamin Osterhout, the director of annual giving, said. “[It was the] highest totals in the 12 years of Power of One Day campaigns”
Osterhoust says he serves as an ‘executive producer’ of the day, helping to coordinate the efforts across campus.
“As Director of Annual Giving, I’m like the Executive Producer for Power of One Day, working closely with deans, coaches, program directors, student clubs, colleagues, and more to plan and execute a successful campaign,” Osterhoust said. “It takes planning for nearly the full year for the campaign to succeed.”
Throughout the day, donation totals were tracked and shared online, encouraging family, friends and alumni to continue contributing and growing the donations.
Another major aspect of the campaign is directing people to support the things they love. Rather than asking donors to simply donate to the college as a whole, donors are able to choose where their money goes, picking specific academic departments, sports teams, scholarships and more.
“We encourage donors to give to what they love about Etown,” Osterhoudt said. “That could be an academic program, an athletic team, scholarships, a student club, or other programs on campus.”
This option allows for donors to have more personal connections to what and who they donate to. For some, it can be all about donating and supporting programs they were involved in during their time in college, at Etown. For others, it may be all about ensuring current students have options to many opportunities during our college experiences.
The impact of these donations begins almost immediately. The funds raised during this day are distributed across campus, supporting everything from financial aid and scholarships to individual programs and resources for students. These all help sustain scholarships and opportunities for current and prospective students.
According to Osterhoudt, many areas focused their fundraising efforts on specific needs, like research opportunities, conference attendance and other experiences that help students grow and shape their education and career paths. Athletic teams were also able to prioritize specific needs they may have to grow and upgrade resources for their team growth and performance.
“Each school, athletic team, and program had a goal and how their funds would be used,” Osterhoudt said. “For instance, a number of the schools focused on research opportunities and conference attendance, while many of the sports teams focused on technology and resources for growth and improvement.”
Each group’s individual goals and wish list items can be viewed at www.etown.edu/oneday.
While larger donations certainly are beneficial and help drive totals up, reaching goals, it is important to express how smaller gifts also play a crucial role in the success of Power of One day. The number of donors is just as important as the amounts raised.
“Smaller donations show the collective power of our community, ” Osterhoudt said. “ Especially with some of the challenges throughout the day based on the number of donors, donor numbers are an important part of the process.”
This also helps encourage current students and recent graduates to give back, especially since they may not be in the financial position to make significant donations.
“We focus on giving what you can to what you love,” Osterhoudt said. “We also offer gifts through digital wallets like Venmo, PayPal and CashApp to make it easier to give back.”
This results in a broader sense of inclusion as no one is defined by what they donated, but by the act of contributing in general. And for organizers, the event and its significance go far beyond the numbers.
“It shows that alumni, families, faculty, staff, students and friends believe in the Elizabethtown experience and want to be part of the success,” Osterhoudt said.
This belief dries the Power of One Day each year, allowing donations to continue to grow each year, and faculty in the Institutional Advancement office are grateful.
“Thank you. This remarkable achievement reflects the strength, pride, and generosity of the Blue Jay community. Your support is already making a meaningful impact, creating new opportunities and brighter futures for our students,” Osterhoudt said.
Each year, on one day, thousands of community members, family, friends and alumni come together for one cause, supporting the growth of Elizabethtown College and supporting current and prospective students. And this year, that made all the difference with record breaking numbers.
