During a 24-hour period from Tuesday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m. to Wednesday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m., the Southern community came together to make a difference in the lives of Southern students. Thanks to nearly 400 donors, Southern Adventist University’s first Giving Day was a success, raising $97,460 for The Southern Fund. The goal of the event was to raise money that would help Southern continue to prepare the next generation of leaders who will impact the world.

During Giving Day, gifts had an even bigger impact thanks to a handful of generous alumni and friends who offered unprecedented, historic challenges. Donors were motivated with the knowledge that during that timeframe, every donation made to The Southern Fund, no matter the size, was matched up to $50,000 by a generous alumni couple.

Additional motivation stemmed from bonus challenges offered during the event, such as the Facebook Video Challenge, which added $2,500 to the total when the promotional Giving Day video received 300 shares on Facebook. In addition, Facebook Live videos helped to kick-off Giving Day on Tuesday. Social media was highly utilized throughout the event and made a big impact on the number of donations received. Southern students got involved, making their friends aware of the event and contributing to the success of Giving Day. Many students even made donations themselves.

Although this event has come to a close, your contributions still matter. If you would like to help make a difference in the lives of Southern students, please visit southern.edu and click the button “Give Now.”