SDSU Foundation has record-setting fundraising year

The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the SDSU Foundation from finishing 2020 with a record-setting number of new gifts and pledges. The team reached $73.2 million in gifts this past year, surpassing the previous all-time high of $63 million in 2013.

A signature event for the foundation each year is One Day for State, an annual giving day designed to celebrate being a Jackrabbit and the impact private gifts can make to the university.

This year, one gift every 15 seconds for 24 hours was made during One Day for State, coming from all 50 states and across 19 countries. When the event was done, 4,888 donors—including 439 faculty members and 484 students—raised $1,617,648 from 5,656 gifts. The total number of donors was 1,100 more than last year’s event.

Another record-setting event included the Jackrabbit Athletic Scholarship Auction that was held virtually in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The auction raised $1.73 million and was bolstered by a two-to-one match from an anonymous donor and when completed included a record $1.15 million for athletic scholarships, $372,000 for Feeding South Dakota and $207,000 for high-need scholarships at SDSU. More than 350 items were included in the regular auction and 21 in the premium auction.