It comes as no surprise that Spartans around the world unite during giving season to make an impact on their beloved university, but the outcome of Michigan State University’s Give Green Day – and the Broad College of Business project – proved entirely unprecedented.
Give Green Day, MSU’s Giving Tuesday campaign, took place on November 28 with the university-wide goal of raising $250,000 in 24 hours; the Broad College identified the Business Pavilion as its chosen project and set its own fundraising goal for $25,000.
The global day of giving outpaced MSU’s expectations, raising $583,569 from 3,313 donors on six continents. Broad’s Business Pavilion (or #BuildBroad) project stunned leadership by raising $81,661 in 127 individual gifts – 326 percent of its original goal.
“This kind of participation represents what the ‘Spartans Will’ mantra is all about: a common good with an uncommon will. The Give Green Day projects will impact students for years to come across the university, and we are so very grateful for the overwhelming support of each gift,” said Senior Director of Development for the Broad College, Vivian Leung.
Gifts for the Pavilion ranged from $1 to $25,000, and included alumni, faculty, staff, current students, and friends of the Broad College.
“To say we are thrilled by this outcome of Give Green Day is an understatement,” said Sanjay Gupta, dean of the Broad College of Business. “Gifts to the Pavilion – on this day and every day – represent our community’s commitment to building a space that enriches our students’ experience. We cannot thank our donors enough for their participation and for their investment in the future generations of Spartans,” Gupta said.
Broad enlisted Erik Qualman (BA Marketing ’94), a New York Times best-selling author and motivational speaker, as the alumni champion to promote #BuildBroad to his robust social media following. Qualman’s ongoing efforts, which included direct online engagement with fellow alumni in the business community, sharing stories of his experience at MSU on the Spartan basketball team, and consistent promotion leading up to Give Green Day, directly impacted the success of the Broad College.
“The thing I’m proudest of is being a Michigan State Spartan, and that’s what ‘being a Spartan’ is all about: it’s about providing a helping hand,” Qualman said. “That’s what I love about Michigan State – a tie to past, present, and future. The way I show this is always giving back,” he said.
Qualman started Give Green Day momentum for the Broad College with a gift of $1,500.
A full list of #BuildBroad gifts and donors can be found on the Business Pavilion gift page of the Give Green Day site.
