What is Cornell Giving Day? 

On Cornell Giving Day, alumni, parents, friends, and Big Red fans all over the world come together to make a difference for Cornell and for the world. All gifts made on March 14, 2024, between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. EST, will count toward Cornell Giving Day. 

Important dates 

• Marketing starts Friday, March 1 
• Early Giving opens Wednesday March 6 

Early giving link available starting March 6 

• Targeted campaigns only 
• Request a link from Kait Provost (kp472@cornell.edu)

Giving Day VIP and opt-out review

1) Review the VIP list: Prior to Wednesday, January 17th, please review the names on the VIP list in this Box folder. Downloading the file, and then filtering it to your prospects is recommended. To take action, if someone needs to be removed/added/moved to a different VIP list, please do so in the status sheet in the tab labeled VIP Changes. As you consider additions to the VIP list, please keep in mind that communication to this group will reference their generous support of Cornell.

2) Review the opt-out list: You have the opportunity to have your prospects removed from all Giving Day 2024 emails by adding them to our opt-out list. To take action, if someone needs to be opted out, please do so in the status sheet in the tab labeled Opt-Out Changes. The initial opt-out list is available for review in this Box folder. All permanent Giving Day opt-outs have automatically been carried over to the 2024 list.

3) Complete your review: All set? Check the box next to your name as “Complete” on the status sheet found on the Review Status tab to let us know you (or your proxy) has completed this review.

After JANUARY 17th, we will continue with the next steps to prepare these final lists.

Matches & challenges: We need your help—and donors love them!

What are matches and challenges?

Matches and challenges are a fantastic way to give donors an incentive to make a greater impact on Cornell Giving Day. By highlighting a dollar-for-dollar matches or using challenge incentives, we can help increase donor participation. On average, having a matching opportunity increases donors likelihood to give by 22%, and increases gift amounts by 19%.

$5,000 – $100,000 in matching gift funds are ideal

Matches

A match is a pool of funds intended to be used to multiply the amount raised for a designated
fund. For example, Joe Lyons ’98 donated a $25,000 1-to-1 match for the Human Ecology
Annual Fund. Human Ecology can now promote this matching gift as a way for donors to
double their impact: a $25 gift becomes a $50 gift, a $50 gift becomes $100, and so on.

Challenges

A challenge is a gift that can be unlocked by meeting a goal. This goal can be measured by
total dollars given or total donors engaged. For example, upon the Anabel’s Grocery Fund
reaching 100 donors, Joe Lyons ’98 will contribute $5,000 to the fund. The 100 donor goal
for Anabel’s Grocery would be used in their marketing, and the unlocked challenge gift
would be celebrated upon reaching 100 donors.

Ways to secure/count matches and challenges

Pledge opportunities:

On Giving Day, we allow for pledges (whether just beginning or payment forwarded) to be counted for Giving Day. The donor must acknowledge or allow for their gift to be reflected here. No documentation is required to the Giving Day team, but the donor might be thanked for their generosity/support through a communication channel, so awareness is key.

• Consider asking Q4 pledge payments to move up to Giving Day
• Consider asking a donor to begin a pledge in honor of Giving Day
• All gifts must be made by end of fiscal year
• We can move forward with a challenge provided we have a commitment from them before Giving Day. It is okay to not have money in advance.
  

Matching gift:

Encouraging donors to make a gift that can be leveraged in a matching gift campaign helps give units and partners the opportunity to boost their campaign. Matching gifts can be used in a variety of ways. From small to large, each unit can benefit from the gift, once a goal is determined.

• $5,000–$100,000 in matching gift funds could be allocated to a single unit.
• You can group multiple $5K+ commitments to the same fund to create a challenge. This is ideal for Advisory Boards.
• As an example, in FY21, ILR used a $100K match comprised of multiple $25K+ and $10K+ gifts.
• Contact Kait Provost or Grant Cowan for additional information on how we can help structure or create a matching gift challenge for your donor.

Process for reporting match/challenge gifts

• Coordinate strategy with your college/unit Giving Day leads
• Complete Gift Tracker form
• Determine if donor(s) wish to remain anonymous or if their name can be included in the marketing of their gift match/challenge
• Ensure the appropriate appeal code is applied to the gift

How do I explain a matching gift to other donors?

• “We have a donor who is generously matching donations dollar-for-dollar up to $xxx so your gift can go even further on March 14. Donate to us at <insert unique link>.”
• “Your donation can have twice as much impact during the Cornell Giving Day because we have a donor who is generously matching donations dollar-for-dollar – up to $xxx.”
• “Why should you give today? Because your donation could be DOUBLED by our match of $xxx from a generous donor.”
• “Donating today is twice as nice! XYZ donor has agreed to match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $xxx! Give now through <insert link>!”

Before Giving Day: What can you do? 

• Early giving: Give donors a chance to get involved early! Let them know we will be offering an early giving option. That link will be available on March 6. 
• Personal outreach: Reach out to prospects now to discuss how they can be involved come March! 
• Share: Please feel free to share posts from the Cornell and Cornell alumni channels. Visit our downloads page for a variety of graphics that you can use in posts. 
  • If you intend to share links via social media, especially on LinkedIn, see our social media scripts and feel free to reach out for a tracked link that can be used to measure your outreach 
• Begin outreach to prospects that typically give via stock or Donor Advised Fund 
  • Since these gifts can take time to receive and process, please use early outreach to make sure that gifts are received by Giving Day

• Find gifts of $25,000 or more to be leveraged for: 

• • Individual unit matching campaigns: Encouraging donors to make a gift that can be leveraged in a matching gift campaign helps give units and partners the opportunity to boost their campaign. If you have a donor that is a fit for a matching gift please consult with your college and unit Giving Day lead and make note of our best practices for matches and challenges.
  • Challenge funds: This gift/donor would ideally be someone who is flexible in having their dollars go anywhere in the university, following a gift made on Giving Day that meets a challenge.  
  • Pledge Payments: For Giving Day, move pledge payments up or identify lagged payments (whether just beginning or payment forwarded) to be counted for Giving Day. The donor must acknowledge or allow for their gift to be reflected here. Notify Tom LaFalce of any anticipated pledge payments above $10,000 associated with Giving Day and we will provide support for that tracking and be sure to complete the Gift Tracker form! 

On Giving Day 

• Encourage your prospects to make a gift on Giving Day.  Many gift officers have found Giving Day is a good time to reach out and encourage prospects to make a gift to one of our annual funds. You can send emails, send notes, or pick up the phone.  Do whatever works for you.   
• Please let us know of any prospects that plan to make a gift or pledge payment of $10,000 or more on Giving Day. Visit the Gift Tracker Form to provide the gift details. Completing this form will help us project our Giving Day totals and allow us to make sure that the gift is received and included in our Giving Day totals. 
• One way that you can help drive dollars on Giving Day is to look at anyone who has an FY24 expected pledge payment. Where appropriate, please encourage these prospects to make their pledge payment as a part of Giving Day.  Keep in mind that this payment can be made in advance of Giving Day beginning on March 6 through the Early Giving site. We will share this web address with you when the site goes live.   
• We know there are donors that are more comfortable making a gift or pledge payment by check, stock, or from a Donor Advised Fund. These gifts can be counted toward Giving Day as long as we have it in hand by March 14. If you know that one of your prospects will be making a Giving Day gift in these non-digital ways, please visit the Gift Tracker Form to provide the gift details. 
• For gifts by mail, we need to have the gift in hand by Giving Day (March 14). 
• For gifts of stock, we want to have the transfer completed by Giving Day. Since these transfers can take time to complete, please start working now with any donors who want to give this way.   
• For gifts by Donor Advised Fund, it is best if the gift is in hand by Giving Day. Donors can complete this form to share their DAF gift details. Understanding that these gifts often take considerable time to complete, we will accept a confirmation that the gift was requested through the Donor Advised Fund through the form. Again, you can begin working with donors now so that we are not tracking down gift documentation on Giving Day. If one of your prospects sends you confirmation of a grant from a DAF directly, you can fill out the Gift Tracker form instead of having the donor complete the DAF form themselves.
• Finally, consider making your own Giving Day gift. Once you do, please share that you have made a Giving Day gift on your social media accounts. Spreading the word about Giving Day is a big help! 

What are the stewardship opportunities for major donors on Giving Day? 

• Opportunity to include in the early give phase 
• Inclusion in marketing (if agreed upon and included as part of a match/challenge)
• Donors who make a gift in early phase will receive a special Thankview message 
• Donors who make a gift of $1,000 or more on Giving Day will receive a Thankview message 
• Students will be writing donor thank you cards during on-campus Giving Day events