Southeast Missouri State University held their annual Giving Day on March 22, 2023, raising a total of $307,367 and 1,128 gifts. This year, Giving Day raised the most money it has ever raised before, surpassing its goal of $150,000.

The 2023 total amount collected is approximately eight and a half times more than the $36,00 total raised in 2022.

The annual Giving Day event is held by SEMO’s University Advancement Department, honoring SEMO’s students, departments, athletics, scholarships, building renovations or donor’s choice through donations to these categories. This year, Giving Day also included challenges, which were a way to “unlock” a bigger donation if multiple people donated, no matter the amount of money.

University Advancement associate director of annual and planned gifts Ally Campbell described Giving Day as a way for groups of people to come together.

Campbell said SEMO’s Giving Day started in 2016 and was inspired by the National Day of Giving, also known as Giving Tuesday. -,NATIONAL%20DAY%20OF%20GIVING%20%E2%80%93%20%23GIVINGTUESDAY,give%20to%20those%20in%20need. Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving that encourages people across the U.S. to give back in any way they can.

“I feel very excited about it,” Campbell said. “I feel very humbled by the generosity of everyone who gave on that day. It was really amazing to see people really rally together for our students and for our university.”

Vice president of university advancement Wendell Snodgrass said the difference between SEMO’s Giving Day and other institutions is the amount of people that stepped up, creating a culture of philanthropy, and meeting people wanting to invest in SEMO’s students and SEMO’s future.

Snodgrass said to him, Giving Day is hope: Hope that people are investing in SEMO’s mission and SEMO’s students.

Snodgrass summarized SEMO’s Giving Day in three words.

“Excitement, hope and future,” Snodgrass said. “I’m grateful for my colleagues in the Foundation Office for pulling together and putting something out there that shows that we are one, and that together, we can accomplish a lot.”

University Advancement gift processing specialist Jackie McAllister said Giving Day is the busiest day of the year for her and her team, and she is still processing donations and gifts.

“They (donors) chip in what they can. It’s all those small gifts they add up to so much because we have so many people and that’s so awesome,” McAllister said.

Nikki Long, University Advancement manager of systems and research said although Giving Day is now closed for 2023, people can donate to next year’s Giving Day through the Giving Day website at .