A photo of a man riding a mechanical bull in a park. There is a crowd of people around the bull watching him.
This year, VCU celebrated Giving Day with Giving Games, an in-person event in Monroe Park. (Jud Froelich, Office of Development and Alumni Relations)

May 7, 2024

VCU’s third annual Giving Day raises more than $16.8M

This year, VCU celebrated Giving Day with Giving Games, an in-person event in Monroe Park.

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By Catherine Brown
Office of Development and Alumni Relations

Virginia Commonwealth University’s third annual Giving Day on April 24 united the VCU community in support of more than 70 initiatives across both campuses. By the end of the day, 5,313 VCU friends from around the world made 5,286 gifts and raised more than $16.8 million.

“We thank our generous donors whose gifts help students pursue their academic goals, ensure patients continue to receive the best possible care, support life-changing research and make possible transformative innovations,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D.

Matches and challenges enabled donors to boost the value of their gifts and help their favorite college, school or initiative win extra money. The Finish Strong Challenge, for example, awarded an extra $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 to the three Monroe Park Campus areas of impact that received the most gifts: the Dr. Erich W. Damm Memorial Award, which supports students in the Department of Biology; ACE-IT in College, which supports students with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and the College of Humanities and Sciences’ undergraduate research fund.

“We are grateful to every person who supported VCU Giving Day,” said Jay E. Davenport, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations. “Gifts of every size make a big difference to our VCU community and beyond.”

A group photo of seven people standing in grass. Next to them is a yellow tent
The Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of five areas of impact that received gifts based on attendees to the Giving Games. (Jud Froelich, Office of Development and Alumni Relations)

This year, VCU celebrated Giving Day with Giving Games, an in-person event in Monroe Park that brought together 531 community members. For the first 225 attendees, a $5 gift was made to one of five areas of impact: Ram Pantry, Rams in Recovery, Student Life and Learning, the Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative or Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Giving Games unlocked $1,125 in support of these life-changing initiatives.

Giving Day and Giving Games took place during Philanthropy Week, a time when the community recognizes the generosity of the many donors who support VCU.

Did you miss Giving Day? That’s OK. You can support VCU any day of the year at support.vcu.edu/give.