Come #TogetherUMW for Sixth Annual Mary Wash Giving Day, April 4

What matters to you at the University of Mary Washington? Perhaps it’s giving students the chance to conduct real-world research alongside faculty mentors. Or supporting their desire to study abroad and immerse themselves in other cultures. Maybe you wish to help them make a difference through service and leadership.

The entire UMW community will have the opportunity to give to the areas where their passions lie when the University holds its sixth annual Mary Wash Giving Day on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. This 24-hour fundraising celebration – which has a theme of #TogetherUMW – shows what we can accomplish when we unite to support current and future students, and academic, arts, athletics, leadership, service, career, and cultural programs at Mary Washington.

Last year’s event exceeded previous years’ records for most dollars raised, said Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando ’14. She also encourages gifts of any amount, noting how they can add up and urging everyone who loves Mary Washington – alumni, students, faculty, staff, families, and friends – to pitch in with a gift to help UMW reach its goal of 2,600 gifts and 400 first-time donors in 2023.

“The University has benefited from strong private support for more than a century,” she said. “Together, we’re ensuring that students for generations to come can continue to have access to an outstanding public liberal arts and sciences education, filled with impactful learning experiences.”

Every gift made on Giving Day, regardless of size, has the potential of doubling and even tripling its impact, thanks to challenges and matches sponsored by generous donors. Alumni can engage in friendly competition through class and decade challenges and can earn bragging rights through a Devil-Goat themed contest, an extension of UMW’s annual Devil-Goat Day tradition.

Dynamic online leaderboards will help participants track progress in real time, building momentum and excitement throughout the day. The Cedric Rucker University Center at the heart of campus will transform into a Mary Wash Giving Day headquarters, with games, prizes, food, and fun for students.

UMW students Chloe Jones, Sarah Hybl, and Fiona Archer spread mulch for Tree Fredericksburg during last fall’s Into the Streets event. More than 70 students participated in an array of community service projects during the event, coordinated by UMW’s COAR. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.

UMW students Jessica Oberlies (left) and Jazmine Montecino return from a hike to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe last summer during a ‘UMW in Spain’ study abroad trip. The experience is one of Mary Washington’s three longest-running faculty-led study abroad programs offered through the Center for International Education. #MaryWashDay #TogetherUMW

Student researchers Carolyn Willmore and Talia Tanner seine fish (a method of fishing that employs a net) for banded killfish near a Virginia power plant. They worked with Assistant Director of Earth and Environmental Sciences Tyler Frankel. #MaryWashDay #TogetherUMW

Matthew Monaghan, Alex Anthes Rojas, Cameron Hovey and Ben Lechtman collaborate on a tabletop puppet production. #MaryWashDay #TogetherUMW

UMW soccer player Diego Guzman shows the crowd some love during the NCAA semifinals late last year. Mary Wash Giving Day gifts support the success of UMW athletes, artists, scholars and so much more. #MaryWashDay #TogetherUMW

Donations can be made directly on the Giving Day website to support the General Scholarship Fund and the Technology Assistance Fund, as well as the unrestricted Fund for Mary Washington, which addresses the University’s most pressing needs. Gifts can also help UMW expand its diversity and inclusion initiatives and bolster campus preservation and other areas that enhance the quality of life on the Mary Washington campus.

In addition, members of the UMW community are invited to serve as Giving Day Ambassadors to inspire others to contribute. Anyone can sign up at givingday.umw.edu to receive access to a customized dashboard and toolkit.

Meanwhile, the Alumni Association encourages alums to request a UMW pet bandana through an online form and to post pictures of dapper dogs and chic cats – not to mention turtles, parrots, lizards, guinea pigs, and other animal friends – with the tag #MaryWashDay and #UMW Alumni.

More information about Mary Wash Giving Day can be found on the FAQ Page. To sponsor a challenge or match, please contact Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando ’14 at sorlando@umw.edu or (540) 654-1361.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04