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This year, members of the ������ community joined together to cause a ripple effect of change reaching far beyond Kent State. From Nov. 1 through Giving Tuesday (Dec. 3), the 2024 campaign raised more than $4.9 million to support scholarships and programs across the university. This included $2.8 million from legacy gifts and endowments, $150,000 from ������ Foundation matching gifts and $2 million from outright gifts and matches.

The campaign offered the opportunity for alumni, friends, faculty and staff to give through Kent State to the causes that mean the most to them. These causes ranged from arts and culture to workforce development. With nearly 60 funds to choose from, donors could support athletic programs, basic needs, research, scholarships and more. This monthlong celebration of philanthropy has become Kent State’s most generous annual tradition, raising more than $1 million for the eighth consecutive year.

“At Kent State, we say that ‘what sets us apart is how we come together,’ and our community has once again shown that to be true,” said Valoree Vargo, vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement at Kent State and CEO of the ������ Foundation. “During the campaign, we offered our community a chance to give through Kent State to the causes closest to their hearts – from health and wellness to basic needs to global education. Through their philanthropy, our donors enhance lives, drive change and empower innovation not just on our campuses, but through our alumni as they go out into their professions and communities, prepared to the fullest with a Kent State degree.”

One fund that best exemplifies this spirit of generosity and community is the Mandy Jenkins Memorial Scholarship, which honors the legacy of Mandy Jenkins, a Kent State alumna who received her bachelor’s degree in 2002 and a master’s degree in 2004. Jenkins spent more than two decades as a journalist and newsroom leader helping newsrooms adapt for the digital age, develop strategies for online news presentation, find new audiences with social media and use the internet for reporting. Jenkins died after four years of cancer treatments at age 42 on Feb. 26, 2023. Her husband, Ben Fischer, a 2004 graduate whom she met at Kent State, along with their families and friends, created this scholarship in her memory to support a Kent State student who is in a student media newsroom leadership role.

Gifts flooded in to support this scholarship during Giving Tuesday, a true testament to Jenkins’ impact on both the field and those around her. This resounding support helped the fund take the top two prizes for the most donors and dollars raised during Donor/Dollar Challenge Week, from Nov. 19-26, and secured an extra $5,000 in support of future scholarship recipients. In total, more than $50,000 was raised for this fund alone.

Funds in the arts and culture category also saw great success during Donor/Dollar Challenge Week. The ������ Museum and the Wick Poetry Center’s Traveling Stanzas Fund finished in second place for donors and dollars raised, respectively. This earned an extra $1,000 toward each of their goals. Porthouse Theatre secured the third-place prize for dollars raised this week and tied for third place in donors with the Baseball Enhancement Fund and the Crisis, Advocacy, Resources, Education and Support (CARES) Center’s Basic Needs Student Fund. These funds received $500 for each third-place prize.

Throughout the month, weekly giving incentives like these provided donors with the opportunity to make their gifts go further – doubling or even tripling their impact. These incentives were made possible through the support of the ������ Foundation, members of Kent State President’s Cabinet and members of Kent State’s volunteer boards – the Board of Trustees, the ������ Foundation Board and the Alumni Association National Board of Directors. The ������ Foundation and volunteer boards contributed a combined $211,940 in matching funds this year.

“The weekly giving incentives are a central part of Kent State’s Giving Tuesday because they give our donors a chance to maximize their impact on the causes that matter most to them,” said Danielle Hupp, director of communications and annual giving at Kent State. “We always say that one fund could win it all for Donor/Dollar Challenge Week, and this year, donors, friends and family came together to make that happen for the Mandy Jenkins Memorial Scholarship. This shows the impact we can have when we join together.”

One of the campaign’s most popular incentives was Triple Your Gift Tuesday on Nov. 12, when donations were matched up to $500 until the funds ran out. In addition, participation boosts of $500 were awarded throughout the month to featured funds for every 25 unique donors who gave $25 or more to that fund. This all culminated in the one-to-one Giving Tuesday match on Dec. 3, when gifts to any ������ Foundation fund up to $1,000 were matched until the matching funds were exhausted.

As Giving Tuesday 2024 comes to a close, Kent State students have a special message of thanks for Golden Flashes available at www.kent.edu/givingtuesday.

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Media Contact:
Leigh Greenfelder, lgreenfe@kent.edu, 330-672-7108