On March 10–11, 2020, Western New England University hosted its fourth annual community giving event, WNEgives. Alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff gave more than $260,000 in support of the University’s most urgent priorities. 1,124 individual donors participated, representing 61 different class years, and residing in 443 cities in 36 states and 5 countries. Together, they supported 91 different areas of the University, including teams, programs, departments, and colleges/schools. Athletics claimed the top spot on the leaderboard, raising $86,789.18 with gifts from 750 donors. There were 107 volunteer Social Ambassadors who helped encourage their own networks to give back through social media posts, text messages, emails, and personal phone calls. The 1:1 outreach was the key to this year’s success, helping raise 27% more dollars and while engaging 3% more donors than 2019. Alyra Donisvitch, assistant director for alumni programs, spoke to the critical role of Ambassadors, stating “Without our amazing team of Social Ambassadors, WNEgives would not have been possible. Their help spreading the word about WNEgives ensured that we were able to engage our alumni, students, staff, faculty, families, and friends in this important community giving event. I cannot thank them enough!”

Adding to the excitement of the day, 26 donor challenges were offered to inspire giving to a part of campus or by a type of person.

Learn more about WNEgives.