On March 22, Longwood launched its eighth annual day of giving, Love Your Longwood Day and witnessed the power of togetherness, community, and love for the alma mater. The eighth campaign also broke records across the board, seeing unparalleled gifts, donors, and dollars raised. In sum, 1,894 donors made gifts during the 24-hour campaign, totaling more than $735,247 in impact for Longwood-specific causes, including academic programs, university initiatives, student services, and the Longwood Fund.
“What was once a dream for the Longwood community has become a reality in just eight years: hundreds of Longwood faithful coming together to support the alma mater and having a big impact on the vital work we do together,” said Courtney Hodges, Longwood’s vice president for institutional advancement.
Along with setting records amongst dollars raised, donors engaged, and the number of gifts made, Love Your Longwood Day 2023 also saw a record number of campaigns that supporters could choose from, more site traffic than ever before, and a hefty increase in the average gift size.
Illuminating campus and town
The usual campus tabling occurred, drawing in students, staff and the occasional campus passerby. The day also saw two new events to engage the campus and local community.
After the workday, Longwood faculty, staff and community donors were also invited to come together in celebration of Love Your Longwood Day at Farmville hotspot, 3 Roads Brewing. The sound of clinking glasses, raffle drawings, and tons of chatter filled the air as milestones were reached, and supporters with a love for Longwood had the unique chance to mingle and celebrate the day’s mounting success.
To conclude the day, over 100 students lit the cold, breezy night with glow-in-the-dark jewelry and glow sticks while also learning more about philanthropy, the power of giving back, and the efforts of supporters from across the country.
Spotlight on success
This year also engaged several extraordinary alumni and friends who took the extra step and pledged support to catalyze the engagement of their peers. Some 25 donors across all university affiliations and class years initiated giving day matches and challenges, unlocking over $46,000 in direct support for new and returning campaigns.
This year's matches and challenges included:
- Young Alumni Match sponsored by Kevin Napier ‘18, MEd ‘21
- Math and Computer Science Match sponsored by classmates and friends, Daniel Milson ‘20, Jordan Berkumpus ‘20 and Austin Youngerman ‘20
- Longwood Couples Challenge sponsored by Scott ‘92 and Crissie ‘92 Abel
- Former Student-Athlete Challenge sponsored by Longwood Athletics Director Tim Hall
- Cormier Honors College Match sponsored by Drs. Patricia and Raymond Cormier
- Breakthrough Adventures Program Challenge sponsored by Dr. Ron & Louise Reeve
- ACE The Test Match sponsored by an anonymous donor and Sheila Vaughan Seagle
- Baseball Match sponsored by Eric Hutzler ‘91
- Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Matches sponsored by Keith Berkley ‘83
- Men’s and Women’s Tennis Matches sponsored by an anonymous couple
- Women’s Soccer Challenge sponsored by women’s soccer Head Coach Todd Dyer ‘93
- Cheerleading Match sponsored by Josh Pearson ‘06
- Music Scholarship Match sponsored by Owen Compher ‘03
- Hoke Currie Scholarship Challenge sponsored by Rohn ‘84 and Teresa ‘84 Brown
- Andy Taylor Center Match sponsored by Dr. Jane Richardson Taylor ‘71
- Joyce Trent Scholarship Match sponsored by Dr. Eric Laws
Longwood Athletics surpassed last year’s record campaign, raising over $350,000 through Lancer Giving Madness, benefitting Longwood’s athletics programs, student-athlete scholarships and experiences and our athletics facilities. For more on their success this year, check out their campaign-specific recap here.
Thank you
“Love Your Longwood Day has certainly become a university tradition in its own right, an annual event that every member of the Longwood family––from our students to our most mature alumni––looks forward to participating in. As we approach ten years of monumental impact, we are so thankful for the support and generosity of the thousands who have invested in this special, one-of-a-kind community,” added Hodges. “Simply put, thank you for eight years of incredible support.”