Give Green 2023 breaks records in money raised, number of donors

A record number of Tulanians came together to break fundraising records on March 21, raising nearly $1.4 million on Tulane University’s sixth annual giving day.

Gifts on Give Green support Tulane’s annual fund, which provides flexible and immediate resources to support students, faculty, capital projects, research, athletics and everything that makes a Tulane education unique.

Thanks to the Tulane Fund for Undergraduate Education, students like Julia Sterling (SLA ’22, SSE ’22) are prepared to be leaders who think and engage critically with the world. As a student, she had invaluable research experience conducting and publishing a study to design a Netflix-like recommendation tool for research papers.

The annual fund also supports the work of inspiring faculty like Jonathan Fadok, PhD. An assistant professor of psychology, Fadok performs cutting-edge research on the causes of mental illness, and he takes Tulane students of all levels along on the journey.

“I take immense pride in training the next generation of young scientists,” Fadok said. “I teach every lab member to strive for excellence by believing in the power of curiosity and integrity. I work hard to provide an inclusive learning atmosphere where we answer important questions using rigor and teamwork.”

During the 24-hour Give Green: A Day for the Audacious event, Tulane alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends made 4,640 gifts and raised $1,396,623. That was up 14% in gifts and 13% in dollars over 2022, and represented the highest amount ever raised during Give Green.

“The generosity of Tulanians on Give Green continues to make a huge difference at Tulane in so many ways,” said Jenny Nathan Simoneaux, executive director of Annual and Leadership Giving at Tulane. “Give Green supporters make an impact that is felt on campus all year long — that’s what the day is really about.”

For student Kaleb Lemoine, scholarship support is making possible his dreams to become the first member of his family to graduate from college. “I have the chance to learn and use my education to make the world a better place,” said Lemoine. “I know that I can make a difference in the grand scheme of things because I value the power of an education.”

And the impact of Give Green on students like Lemoine is growing every year. The number of gifts this year is double the amount made on the inaugural Give Green Day in 2018. Contributions this year came from all 50 states and 17 countries.

And more than 214 Tulanians served as ambassadors, amplifying the Give Green message throughout the day to their personal networks.

“Tulane supporters are passionate and engaged every single day of the year, and it was wonderful to see the community rally together over 24 hours on Give Green to support this university that we all love,” said Ginny Wise, senior vice president for advancement.

Enthusiasm for Give Green was palpable on Tulane’s campuses, and Tulanians across the globe also showed their excitement.

Generous donors made $400,000 in challenge gifts — more than ever before. These matches allowed donors to amplify the impact of their gifts and win extra funds for their chosen areas of the university.

For example, the Big Green Grand Prize, sponsored by Matt Gorson, encouraged friendly rivalries between schools and units by offering bonus funds for the highest number of gifts on Give Green. Schools and units were divided into three groups based on the sizes of their historical donor bases. This year’s prize was bigger than ever before, awarding a total of $50,000.

A unique award this year was the Grippa family’s undergraduate reunion challenge. Last year, the Grippa family — Tony J. Grippa (A&S ’66), Tony M. Grippa (A&S ’92), and Chris P. Grippa (B ’97) — celebrated milestone reunions together at Tulane. For Give Green, they challenged 2023 reunion celebrants to step up. That resulted in reunion gifts from an astounding 447 alums, with the highest number from the Class of 2018.

Another challenge was aimed at the GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Krewe. Jacob Ringer (B ’08, B ’09) challenged graduates from the classes of 2008 to 2022 to make a gift on Give Green. Over 200 alumni met that challenge.

While alumni showed up in huge numbers to give, so did faculty, staff, parents and friends — and current students. Tulane President Michael A. Fitts visited Green Central Station on the uptown campus and spoke with student leaders about why they choose to give back to Tulane and the importance of philanthropy.

“Philanthropy plays an essential role in making the university the exceptional institution it is today,” said Fitts. “The students I spoke with on Give Green have really taken to heart that it is through the generosity of our committed donors that future generations of students can continue to enjoy the same life-changing opportunities that they enjoy.”