On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary’s annual #GivingTuesday challenge proved a tremendous success, for the second consecutive year. The Seminary engaged more than 300 friends and alumni around the world to reach and exceed its one-day fundraising goal of $50,000.
At day’s end, the campaign had yielded $98,764 in donations. A dollar-for-dollar match from an anonymous donor resulted in a grand total of $148,764.
“We were amazed to witness an incredible community of people coming together in support of our #GivingTuesday campaign,” said Archpriest Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir’s. “These supporters have helped fund worthwhile initiatives like student aid, academic projects, and field education, and other SVOTS causes that bring the light of Christ to the world.”
#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities, and organizations to encourage philanthropy and celebrate generosity worldwide. GivingTuesday.org estimated that more than 1 million donations were given on December 1, totaling $116.7 million.
“We are thrilled to be able to share 10% of the total raised with the Orthodox Patriarchal Ecclesiastical School of Makarios III, our sister seminary in Nairobi, Kenya,” continued Fr. Chad. “Our tithe of $14,876 will help them in acquiring much needed books for their library.”
The Seminary ran a strategic campaign on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, leading up to and on #GivingTuesday. SVOTS supporters photographed themselves wearing T-shirts branded with the Seminary’s campaign hashtag, #give2svots, and shared the images with their friends on social media. Additionally, throughout the day of the campaign a dedicated group of seminarians phoned individual #GivingTuesday supporters to express their gratitude for donations.
“We were humbled by the generosity of our donors, and we extend our sincere appreciation to all those who contributed to #GivingTuesday,” concluded Fr. Chad.
This year’s accomplishment builds on last year’s successful #GivingTuesday campaign, which raised $80,000. Following that campaign St. Vladimir’s offered a tithe of $8,000 to His Beatitude John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, to alleviate the dire conditions of people in his care in Syria.
Did you donate on #GivingTuesday? Thank you!
