ALLNDay: a fundraising frenzy

Each year, NW hosts an annual day of giving for alumni, parents and friends of the college. Better known as ALLNDay, this day of giving is NW’s way of encouraging those affiliated with the college to be “all in” when it comes to supporting NW. This year, ALLNDay will be hosted on Thursday, Feb. 5 from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. During this 24 hour event, alumni, parents and friends of the college participate by giving to the NW fund as donors. 

According to Christopher Jelken, the NW fund “supports student financial aid, academic programs, student development and admissions programs and the upkeep of grounds and buildings on campus.” 

Donations to the NW fund typically reduce the annual average cost of attendance by $1,000 per student. Raising money for this fund is the primary goal of ALLNDay as students, and by extension family and friends, benefit from the amount of money received by donations. In order to donate to the NW fund on ALLNDay, donors can give by accessing the ALLNDay website, coming to the advancement office in Zwemer Hall or calling 712-707-7107. The only gifts counted towards ALLNDay are those that are specifically given for the event.

This year, NW has received up to $75,000 in challenge gifts, which can be “unlocked” throughout ALLNDay based on the amount of gifts received by donors. The challenge gifts serve as mile markers in the fundraising event with 100 gifts unlocking a challenge gift of $10,000, 250 gifts unlocking $25,000, and 400 gifts unlocking $40,000. 

“The theme for this year is participation,” said Jelken. “The more participation we have, the more funds we will be able to raise to support students through the NW fund.”

This year, alongside the challenge gifts are two other participation challenges that seek donor diversity in both location and age. The first of these challenges is to receive at least one gift from each state, metaphorically painting the United States Raider red. For this challenge, the ALLNDay website will track gifts from across the country and turn states on the map red as gifts are received. 

The final challenge of this year’s ALLNDay is entitled the Eras of Excellence challenge. For this challenge, those who donate on ALLNDay will have the opportunity to vote for the Era of Excellence they most resonate with. These eras could include the era in which donors graduated, had a child graduate or even an era of personal life that was impactful to the donor. The motivation behind this goal is to see which era of donors wins the Era of Excellence challenge.

While ALLNDay may focus on donors and alumni, there are ways for current students of NW to get involved in this fundraising frenzy. Students are strongly encouraged to sign up as an ALLNDay Advocate. After signing up, advocates will receive a personalized link to share with family, friends and potential donors in order to encourage giving to the NW fund. Donations made via the personalized link will be tracked throughout the day with each donation counting for points. At the end of the event, the student with the most points will win a reserved parking space in the campus lot of their choice. Being an ALLNDay Advocate can be a great way to encourage the NW donor community to support the education of NW students.