“Build The Hive” campaign sees donations flower
Spring is a season for growth and abundance, and those two qualities were well reflected in April’s Build The Hive fundraiser, which, across just 48 hours, collected nearly $27,000.
The exact tally, $26,978, represents the generosity of some 160 donors and marks a 55% increase in gifts over last year’s campaign, according to Wendy Lowery, vice president of Advancement and University Relations. That money will go toward scholarships and student experience funds.
Held April 5-7, the Build The Hive initiative amassed donations both online and at in-person events, including Philanthropy Fest and the annual Russell Hall Block Party.
It also offered individual colleges, funds and alumni opportunities to engage in some friendly competition.
School of Nursing won the sweet start challenge for garnering the most donors in the first two hours of the drive. In the long run, the school took the top prize for drawing the largest overall number of contributors.
For raising the highest dollar amount, the College of Education and Human Development scored first place with $2,870, followed by the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences at $2,455 and the School of Nursing with $2,443.
This was also the first year the effort held an alumni chapter challenge, in which 11 of Radford’s 13 chapters participated. Of those, the Charlotte, North Carolina, chapter had the greatest level of involvement, which earned it a scholarship for an incoming student from that city.
Philanthropy Fest, held April 6 on Heth Lawn, was a chance for students to gather in the spring weather, shoot baskets, compete in lawn games like long ball and cornhole and commune with others. Many students, even those who have not received scholarships, wrote short “thank you” notes that will be sent to donors.
“Our whole Radford experience is made possible because of donors, and I think today is, hopefully, a start of building that awareness in our community,” Carolyn Clayton, director of annual giving, said at the event.
Those who gave at the fest received a dark blue T-shirt bearing the motto “Time. Talent. Treasure.”
Members of this year’s graduating class who made a gift of at least $20.22 got a cord they can wear at commencement, and students at the festival could also join the Radford Athletics Student Highlander Club. Joi Stanley, a senior from Williamsburg, Virginia, took the opportunity to do both.
“I really support the athletic department,” said Stanley, a former residential advisor for basketball, baseball and softball. “It’s going really well today, and I’m really glad they did this.”
A joint effort by the community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and the Student Government Association saw the construction of an unorthodox beehive – one made from a supply of 600 canned goods.
“We’ve been collecting cans for a few weeks now to show Radford’s giving spirit,” said APO President Oak Bradshaw, a senior from Bland, Virginia, studying political science.
“We’re going to be donating the food to the Women’s Resource Center and other shelters in our area,” he explained.
“We’re doing great things at the university, but we need extra funding to support it,” said Holly Cline, Ph.D., design department chair and professor, who attended Philanthropy Fest. “The dollars that we generate here today provide great opportunities for our students and faculty.
“Now more than ever, we need to collectively come together and give back to the university.”
Cline also alluded to a more general and more immediate benefit of giving back to the school.
“I like to get the T-shirt every year,” she acknowledged.
Online at: https://give.radford.edu/giving-day/46962
The Build The Hive Leaderboards
Number of Donors:
- School of Nursing – 40
- College of Education and Human Development – 32
- College of Visual and Performing Arts – 24
- College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences – 22
- The Radford Fund – 18
- Artis College of Science and Technology – 10
- Davis College of Business and Economics – 9
- Waldron College of Health and Human Services – 6
- The Graduate College & University Libraries – 5
Amount Raised:
- College of Education and Human Development – $2,870
- College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences – $2,455
- School of Nursing – $2,443
- The Radford Fund – $1080
- Artis College of Science and Technology – $1,075
- College of Visual and Performing Arts – $800
- Davis College of Business and Economics – $460
- Waldron College of Health and Human Services – $155
- The Graduate College & University Libraries – $115