Sweaters (and other acts) that inspire giving
2023’s Giving Day reaches goal, includes unconventional challenges.
A sartorial favorite of the economics professor, they provided the perfect challenge for would-be donors to step up and support Beloit. Laura Grube’08, a professor in the business and economics department, hatched the idea of entering econ alumni and student Giving Day supporters into a drawing to score one of three coveted Elder sweaters. Trevor Cain’24 and David’69 and Laurel Smith Nicol’68 were the lucky winners.
In late April, Beloiters from all quarters stepped up and helped exceed this year’s Giving Day goal of 1,000 donors, with 1,138 people raising $572,814 for the college. The Beloit community participated by creating matches and challenges, sharing social media posts, sending emails, and making phone calls. Highlights included an alum anonymously giving $100,000 as a challenge gift in honor of the Beloit Plan, and another anonymous gift challenging fellow 1973 classmates to donate in honor of their 50th reunion year.
Bruce Dunlap’75 provided a match that brought in more than $14,000 for the McMasters Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund for Chemistry & Biochemistry, and the Beloit College Alumni Association Board went above and beyond in their outreach to fellow Beloiters. The board’s emails, posts, and phone calls inspired fellow alumni, as did their notably generous Giving Day challenges for the ’70s and ’90s decades.
International support was strong, with gifts coming from France, India, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. U.S. gifts came from Beloit supporters in 49 states.
Rumor has it that next year’s Giving Day could include a pair of Professor Beth Dougherty’s shoes and an iconic Professor Charles Westerberg’94 bowtie.
